Spectroscopy, microscopy, and other techniques for characterization of bacterial nanocellulose and comparison with plant-derived nanocellulose

Cellulose in its natural form is produced by plants, amoebae, sea animals, fungi, and bacteria. Nanocellulose, with at least one dimension less than 100 nm, has attracted interest due to its unique characteristics such as high surface area to volume ratio, high tensile modulus and strength, low coefficient of thermal expansion, and chemically active surface. In this chapter, we will focus on production methods for bacterial nanocellulose, nanocellulose from plants, and various microscopic and analytical techniques for their characterization. Imaging techniques to characterize the structure of nanocellulose include Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). In addition, Analytical techniques for measurement of cellulose crystallinity, including X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy, are discussed. The chapter also describes the thermal analysis of bacterial cellulose using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). These techniques can be used to study the structures and properties of nanocellulose and help to identify appropriate applications.