	US 11,999,836 B2
	Cellulosic gels, films and composites including the gels, and methods of forming same
Ivan I. Smalyukh, Boulder, CO (US); Andrew Johnston Hess, Louisville, CO (US); Quingkun Liu, Boulder, CO (US); Joshua A. De La Cruz, Denver, CO (US); Blaise Fleury, Boulder, CO (US); Eldho Abraham, Boulder, CO (US); Bohdan Senyuk, Boulder, CO (US); and Vladyslav Cherpak, Westminster, CO (US)
Appl. No. 17/251,694
Filed by The Regents of the University of Colorado, Denver, CO (US)
PCT Filed Jun. 13, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/037123 § 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 11, 2020, PCT Pub. No. WO2019/241604, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 19, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/684,670, filed on Jun. 13, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0253820 A1, Aug. 19, 2021
Int. Cl. C08J 9/28 (2006.01); C08J 5/18 (2006.01); C08K 5/544 (2006.01); C08K 7/02 (2006.01); B82Y 30/00 (2011.01); B82Y 40/00 (2011.01)

CPC C08J 9/28 (2013.01) [C08J 5/18 (2013.01); C08K 5/544 (2013.01); C08K 7/02 (2013.01); B82Y 30/00 (2013.01); B82Y 40/00 (2013.01); C08J 2201/026 (2013.01); C08J 2201/0504 (2013.01); C08J 2205/026 (2013.01); C08J 2205/028 (2013.01); C08J 2301/02 (2013.01); C08K 2201/011 (2013.01)]

9 Claims

1. A process for preparing networked cellulosic aerogels, the process comprising the steps of:

a) contacting a dispersion of bacterial cellulose with an oxidizing system that oxidizes hydroxyl units of cellulose to carboxylate and/or carboxylic acid units to form a solution of oxidized cellulose nanofibers;

b) reacting the oxidized cellulose nanofibers with a surface modifying agent to form a solution of surface modified cellulose nanofibers;

c) contacting the surface modified cellulose nanofibers with a crosslinking agent to form a bacterial cellulose nanofiber matrix;

d) hydrolyzing the matrix in the presence of a catalyst to form networked cellulosic hydrogel;

e) exchanging solvent contained in the hydrogel with a solvent to form an organogel; and

f) removing the solvent to form an aerogel.