Crystalline Structure of Microbial Cellulose Compared with Native and Regenerated Cellulose

Microbial cellulose is a chemically pure form of plant cellulose with an ultrafine reticulated structure. In this study, microbial cellulose was biosynthesized in a static condition by acetobacter xylinium (Gluconacetobacter xylinus) of three different mono- and disaccharides, and its crystallinity structure was investigated and compared with each other and also with the crystalline structure of cellulose existing in cotton and ordinary viscose rayon fibers. According to the results, the cellulose production efficiency of monosaccharide (glucose) was higher than that of disaccharides (lactose and sucrose). The crystalline structures of all biosynthesized cellulose were cell I and their dominant allomorphs were I(alpha), contrary to native cellulose, which was I(beta). The crystallinity amount of microbial cellulose was less than 10-15% of cotton and greater than 9% of viscose.