Biocolloids and Biopolymers

Nanomaterials and polymers have secured such a promising role in today's life that imagining the modern world without them is almost impossible. Despite numerous advantages of synthetic nanomaterials, issues such as renewability, sustainability, biocompatibility, and cost efficiency have drawn significant attention towards natural products, such as cellulose-based nanomaterials. Over the past decade, conventional nanocelluloses, including cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) have successfully been used for a wide spectrum of applications spanning from nanocomposites, packaging, and mechanical and rheological property modifications, to chemical catalysis and organic templating.

We focus on a newly emerged family of nanocelluloses, called hairy cellulose nanocrystals (HCNC). These nanoparticles comprise a crystalline body, similar to the conventional CNC, but with highly tailored cellulose chains (hairs) protruding from both ends, which provide striking superiority over conventional nanocelluloses. We have been furthering the engineering applications of HCNCs beyond the ultimate capabilities of CNC and CNF for extending the frontiers of sustainable, green nanotechnology.

Hairy Nanocelluloses

Remarkably outperforming the conventional nanocelluloses, such as CNC and CNF, in terms of functional group density, colloidal stability, and surface properties.

Hairy nanocelluloses are synthesized as negatively-charged, neutral, or positively-charged nanoparticles with functioal group densites that can exceed those of conventional nanocelluloses by an order of magnitude.

Water Treatment

We engineer bio-based colloidal and polymeric systems derived from plants or animals to develop sustainable water treatment platforms.

Separation of heavy metal (copper) ions from water using anionic hairy cellulose nanocrystals within a few minutes.

Scale Inhibition

Via nanoengineering techniques, we convert biopolymers, such as cellulose into highly efficient scale inhibitors. Our endeavors are geared towards replacing current phosphonated macromolecular antisclants with green, environmentally-friendly biopolymeric scale inhibitors.

Nanoengineered hairy cellulose platforms perform as a threshold scale inhibitor. We are furthering this technology to address some of the unmet challenges in scale/crystal management in water-based industries and biomedical sectors.

Other Applications

-Body fluid treatment
-Element recovery
-Membranes
-Bio-based advanced materials for water-energy-food nexus
-Sustainable development

Other Biopolymers

We engineer biopolymeric systems, particularly proteins and polysaccharides, to develop surgical sealants and hemostatic biomaterials.

We recently developed hybrid tough bioadhesives for sealing stretchable tissues, such as bladder.

Selected Publications

(14) Advanced Healthcare Materials

Engineering tough, injectable, naturally-derived, bioadhesive composite hydrogels (Link: Coming Soon)


M. Tavafoghi,§ A. Sheikhi,* R. Tutar, J. Jahangiry, A. Baidya, R. Haghniaz, A. Khademhosseini*. Accepted. 2020.

(13) Journal of Controlled Release

Recent advances in nanoengineering cellulose for cargo delivery (Link)


A. Sheikhi, J. Hayashi, J. Eichenbaum, M. Gutin, N. Kuntjoro, D. Khorsandi, and A. Khademhosseini. 294:53-76. 2019.

(12) Science Advances

Sutureless sealing and repair of corneal injuries using naturally derived bioadhesive hydrogels (Link)


E.S. Sani, A. Kheirkhah, D. Rana, Z. Sun, W. Foulsham, A. Sheikhi, A. Khademhosseini, R. Dana, N. Annabi. 5:eaav1281. 2019.
Highlighted by ScienceDaily, Medical Xpress, EurekAlert! (American Association for the Advancement of Science, AAAS), Eye World, Optik Now, Physics World, Visionmonday, Innovation Toronto.

(11) ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

Overcoming inorganic scaling using engineered nanocelluloses: A QCM-D study (Link)


A. Sheikhi,* A.L.J. Olsson, N. Tufenkji, A. Kakkar, and T.G.M. van de Ven*. 10:34553-34560. 2018.
Highlighted by PHYS.ORG, ScienceDaily, EurekAlert! (American Association for the Advancement of Science, AAAS), eScience News, NANO Magazine, Technology Breaking News, myScience.org, Nanowerk, Technology-Nano, Technology.org, TMR Blog, McGill Newsroom, Genesis Nanotech, Science and Technology Research News, Techno‐Science.net, Industrial WaterWorld, Vaaju, Water Technology magazine, and R&D magazine.

(10) Materials Horizons

Nanoengineering colloidal and polymeric celluloses for threshold scale inhibition: towards universal biomass-based crystal modification (Link)


A. Sheikhi,* A. Kakkar, and T.G.M. van de Ven*. 5:248-255. 2018. Featured on the cover.
Highlighted by PHYS.ORG, ScienceDaily, EurekAlert! (American Association for the Advancement of Science, AAAS), eScience News, NANO Magazine, Technology Breaking News, myScience.org, Nanowerk, Technology-Nano, Technology.org, TMR Blog, McGill Newsroom, Genesis Nanotech, Science and Technology Research News, Techno‐Science.net, Industrial WaterWorld, Vaaju, Water Technology magazine, and R&D magazine.

(9) ACS Applied Nano Materials

Colloidal starch and cellulose nanocrystals unite to improve the mechanical properties of paper: From enhanced coatings to reinforced nanocomposites (Link)


A. Sheikhi* and T.G.M. van de Ven*. 1:1841-1852. 2018.

(8) Materials Horizons

Colloidal nanotoolbox for molecularly regulated polymerization: chemorheology over 6 decades of viscoelasticity (Link)


A. Sheikhi,* H. Yang, P.J. Carreau, and T.G.M. van de Ven*. 4:1165-1170. 2017.

(7) Chemical Communications

Squishy nanotraps: hybrid cellulose nanocrystal-zirconium metallogels for controlled trapping of biomacromolecules (Link)


A. Sheikhi* and T.G.M. van de Ven*. 53:8747-8750. 2017.

(6) Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface

Colloidal aspects of Janus-like hairy cellulose nanocrystalloids (Link)


A. Sheikhi* and T.G.M. van de Ven*. 29:21-31. 2017. Invited Review Article to the Special Issue on Nanocelluloses.

(5) Langmuir

Reusable green aerogels from crosslinked hairy nanocrystalline cellulose and modified chitosan for dye removal (Link)


H. Yang, A. Sheikhi, and T.G.M. van de Ven. 32:11771-11779. 2016.

(4) Nanoscale

Hairy cellulose nanocrystalloids: A novel class of nanocellulose (Link)


T.G.M. van de Ven and A. Sheikhi. 8:15101-15114. 2016. Invited Feature Article. Featured on the cover.

(3) Journal of Visualized Experiments

Highly stable, functional hairy nanoparticles and biopolymers from wood fibers: Towards sustainable nanotechnology (Link)


A. Sheikhi, H. Yang, Md. N. Alam, T.G.M. van de Ven. 113:e54133. 2016.

(2) ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

Copper removal using electrosterically stabilized nanocrystalline celluloses (Link)


A. Sheikhi S. Safari,§ H. Yang, T.G.M. van de Ven. 7:11301-11308. 2015.

(1) Journal of Colloid and Interface Science

Electroacoustic characterization of conventional and electrosterically stabilized nanocrystalline celluloses (Link)


S. Safari,§ A. Sheikhi,§ T.G.M. van de Ven. 432:151-157. 2014.

Other Technologies

Microfluidic-Enabled Biomaterials

Biomimetic Materials

Colloidal Gels