Physicochemical Mechanics of Bacterial Cellulose

Abstract

Bacterial cellulose is a product of the vital activity of some types of bacteria. In contrast to plant cellulose, it is characterized by high purity, strength, and elasticity. Together with nontoxicity and biocompatibility, these properties make bacterial cellulose to be applicable in biotechnology, medicine, and production of composites as a reinforcing component. The nanoscopic sizes of the structural units of bacterial cellulose provide it with a large specific surface area and, as a consequence, a pronounced dependence of many properties of a material on surface interactions with an environment. This review is devoted to discussing the structure and mechanical properties of bacterial cellulose, with especial attention being focused on its behavior in the presence of water and aqueous solutions. “Bacteria make no mistakes…” S. Gandlevskii