Modification of Bacterial Cellulose Rehydration via Cross-linking with Succinic Acid

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a significant biopolymer in medical applications and some research has been conducted to modify its rehydration ability. In this research bacterial cellulose was cross-linked with succinic acid (SA)/ Sodium hypophosphate (SHP) in different concentrations and then the wettability of treated and untreated BC was investigated. SEM and BET proved a new structural construction and higher porosity in the cross-linked BC. Additionally, ATR-FTIR showed the presence of ester bonds (COO) in the treated samples. Moreover, the thickness and water absorption were enhanced by 137% and 133% respectively and the cross-linked samples showed a higher water swelling rate. Therefore, cross-linked BC with succinic acid has a high potential for increasing BC shelf lifetime for biomedical applications.