Hydrophobization of nanofibrillated cellulose from Macaranga gigantea for binding of curcumin

Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) has found extensive potential and existing utilizations across various industries. Nonetheless, a notable constraint of NFC lies in its inherent hydrophilic nature, which restricts its suitability for non-aqueous application. This study aims at synthesising hydrophobic NFC through a two-step surface modification by reacting NFC with tannic acid and amine group. The study also investigated the effect of using various alkylamines on the properties of modified NFC. The hydrophobic NFC was characterized using various analytical techniques namely Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), X-Ray Diffraction analysis (XRD), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), elemental analysis, and contact angle measurements. The present study also looked into the possible use of modified NFC as a pharmaceutical excipient for the delivery of water insoluble curcumin. The analysis of curcumin binding onto the modified NFC was conducted using UV-Visible spectrophotometry. The findings from the study indicated that the modified NFC effectively bound a substantial quantity of curcumin (80 % - 87 %) and the binding varied for samples of different degree of substitution.