Particle Size and Dispersion Properties of Cellulose Beads Fabricated via Coaxial Needle Spray Method

Abstract

Microbeads with a diameter of 500 μm or smaller are used in the production of cosmetic products, such as foam cleansers. To replace the usage of plastic microbeads in cosmetics with ecofriendly alternatives such as cellulose, development of technologies for producing cellulose beads with a diameter of ≤500 μm, particularly reducing their sizes to <100 μm, is crucial. Herein, cellulose beads with a particle size of 30–250 μm were fabricated via spray method using a coaxial needle and tetraethylammonium hydroxide/urea/cellulose solution. Reduced inner diameter of the needle and increased air pressure decreased the cellulose bead size. Furthermore, the results show that the dispersibility of cellulose beads can be improved by dispersing them in a solvent with low surface tension and employing a gradual drying method, such as air drying.