Dialdehyde cellulose nanofibril-mediated AgNPs loading for multifunctional antibacterial and antistatic polyacrylonitrile filaments

Cellulose nanofibrils (NFC) are promising bio-based additives for advanced fiber materials, but their use as multifunctional carriers in synthetic filament manufacturing remains insufficiently explored. Here, silver nanoparticle-loaded dialdehyde cellulose nanofibrils (DE2NFC@Ag) were developed from softwood-pulp-derived cellulose nanofibrils and incorporated into polyacrylonitrile (PAN) wet-spun filaments. Ultrafine cellulose nanofibrils with an average diameter of 42.2 nm were prepared, oxidized by NaIO 4 , loaded with Ag-containing domains, and introduced into PAN spinning dopes. The resulting PAN-DE2NFC@Ag filaments retained suitable spinnability and showed improved mechanical, antibacterial, and antistatic properties. PAN-1wt%DE2NFC@Ag20 reached a tensile strength of 121.2 MPa, 17.8% higher than neat PAN. For PAN-1wt%DE2NFC@Ag20, the antibacterial rates against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli exceeded 90%, while the surface resistance decreased from 10 12 to 10 9 Ω, indicating a transition from insulating to static-dissipative behavior. This work provides a route for the value-added utilization of plant-derived cellulose nanofibrils as multifunctional additives in fiber manufacturing.