FABRICATION OF AEROGEL FROM KOMBUCHA BACTERIAL CELLULOSE: INVESTIGATION OF SOME PROPERTIES

Abstract

Aerogels with large surface area, are very light related to the filling of pores with air (99%). Due to these features scientific studies on aerogels have increased at great speed. Aerogels are obtained using many materials as inorganic substances like silica as well as cellulose as biodegradable organic polymers. Bacterial cellulose is eco-friendly material, and it can be produced in economic ways with simple processes. The aim of this study is to investigate the importance of the bacterial cellulose obtained by Kombucha scabby in order to fabricate aerogels with some properties such as heat resistance and swelling features. Kombucha bacterial cellulose has been produced to obtain heat resistance property by simple diffusion method. The characteristic property of the obtained aerogels was investigated by SEM and TGA. The results of this work showed that, the resistance of the bacterial cellulose aerogels increases the degradation temperature. This study showed that Kombucha bacterial cellulose can economically be obtained by simple techniques and use in different fields of aerogels as eco-friendly raw materials.
Keywords: Aerogel, Kombucha scoby, Bacterial cellulose, Thermal properties