Blue crab shells used to make sustainable yarnBlue crab shells used to make sustainable yarn
Researchers belonging to Aalto University, the University of British Columbia, and the University of São Paulo have found a solution for creating a new kind of fiber with a combination of chitin nanoparticles, removed from residual blue crab shells and alginate, which is a compound that is found in seaweed. This novel bio-based material is not only sturdy but also possesses antimicrobial properties. The team examined how the difference in the concentration of every component, the nanoparticles’ size, and other variables that affect the mechanical properties and thread’s spinnability. The researchers used this information to make robust and flexible threads continually.
Professor Orlando Rojas from the Biobased Colloids and Materials (BiCMat) team at Aalto University says that the scientists wanted to create a fiber that can combine the properties of fiber chitin, which is known for its antimicrobial properties, and seaweed alginate that is used to create strong gels. The newly-designed material, which takes advantage of the strong interaction between the components that carry opposite charges, indicated that when a solution of alginate comes in contact with a suspension of chitin nanofibers, the alginate, which wraps around the chitin nanoparticles, resulting in the formation of fibrils that are parallel aligned as the thread is drawn upward. Alginate is readily soluble in water. Brown algae consist of alginic acid in its cell walls, which can be turned into sodium alginate. After the blue crab shells were ground and purified, the material was then partially deacetylated through simple procedures.
The researchers believe the thread would have extensive application in surgical procedures and webs for the purposes of internal tissue engineering. Rojas says that for further development, the research team is exploring its scalability after demonstrating that the threads can be created continuously. This can eventually be scaled with simultaneous microfiber dry-drawing from the suspensions.
