New article: deuterium‑enriched cellulose for biocompatible neutron‑based technologies

NN researchers Amanda Muñoz‑Juan, Daniela Diaz, and Anna Laromaine have published a new article in the journal RSC Applied Polymers. This study is part of a collaborative effort involving ICMAB‑CSIC, the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB‑CNM) and CONICET (Argentina).

The paper presents a scalable method to produce bacterial nanocellulose enriched with deuterium, a heavier form of hydrogen, while preserving the material’s natural properties. The researchers confirmed the successful and uniform incorporation of deuterium using advanced spectroscopic techniques. They also demonstrated that the modified material interacts with fast neutrons, generating detectable signals. These results highlight the potential of this sustainable, biocompatible material for applications in neutron detection, imaging, and other advanced scientific technologies.

Title

Engineering deuterated bacterial cellulose via biosynthesis for neutron applications

DOI: 10.1039/d6lp00041j

Abstract

Deuterated bacterial nanocellulose (dBNC) combines the biocompatibility and versatility of cellulose with the distinctive properties of deuterium, thereby facilitating the development of functional materials and their potential future applications in neutron science. We applied a scalable film-to-film biosynthesis protocol that reduces costs and time while achieving controlled deuterium incorporation into the biosynthesis of bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) using Komagataeibacter xylinus, adapted to D2O and deuterated glycerol. Spectroscopic analyses (FTIR, Raman, NIR, SR-µFTIR) confirmed the presence and homogeneous distribution of O–D and C–D bonds in the membrane. At the same time, physical properties, such as crystallinity and surface charge, remained comparable to those of native BNC. Neutron irradiation experiments demonstrated that dBNC films interact with fast neutrons, producing recoil deuterons, which supports their potential as biofriendly materials of interest for neutron science. This study paves the way for future use of dBNC as a promising material in neutron-based technologies and confirms the applicability of the optimized approach for its production and characterization.