{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T06:10:12Z","timestamp":1782886212642,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"23","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,22]],"date-time":"2025-11-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1763769600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Polymers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The modification of lignocellulosic fibers through controlled swelling and impregnation plays a decisive role in tailoring their structure and reactivity for use in sustainable composite materials. In this study, holocellulose fibers were swollen in various solvents (sodium hydroxide at 2 and 4 wt% and ethanol\u2013water mixtures at 0, 50, 70, and 100 wt%) to evaluate their impact on swelling and fiber characteristics. The pulp was produced with peracetic acid at 90 \u00b0C for 120 min from spruce wood chips and used for the swelling treatment. The fibers underwent swelling for 4 h in the different solvents, both without and with solubilized lignin at concentrations of 10 and 30 g\/L, to investigate the impregnation ability of the fibers for lignin as a natural binder. Fiber morphology, lignocellulosic composition, and liquid retention values were analyzed to assess the effects of solvent\u2013binder interactions on fiber swelling and lignin uptake. The results revealed significant differences in fiber characteristics influenced by both solvent choice and lignin presence, demonstrating the feasibility and optimization potential of a single-step swelling-impregnation process. These findings highlight key factors that can improve the uptake of natural binders in wood fibers, offering insights for effective fiber preconditioning in composite production.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/polym17233103","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,24]],"date-time":"2025-11-24T10:24:17Z","timestamp":1763979857000},"page":"3103","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Effect of Different Aqueous Solvents with and Without Solubilized Lignin on the Swelling Behavior of Holocellulose Fibers"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3276-2777","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cornelia","family":"Hofbauer","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Christian Doppler Laboratory for Next-Generation Wood-Based Biocomposite, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4840-208X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Thomas","family":"Harter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Christian Doppler Laboratory for Next-Generation Wood-Based Biocomposite, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria"},{"name":"Institute of Bioproducts and Paper Technology, TU Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1376-9076","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ulrich","family":"Hirn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Bioproducts and Paper Technology, TU Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6490-5840","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michael","family":"Harasek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Christian Doppler Laboratory for Next-Generation Wood-Based Biocomposite, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3298-9792","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luis","family":"Zelaya-Lainez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Christian Doppler Laboratory for Next-Generation Wood-Based Biocomposite, Institute for Mechanics of Materials and Structures, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7472-8561","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Josef","family":"F\u00fcssl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Christian Doppler Laboratory for Next-Generation Wood-Based Biocomposite, Institute for Mechanics of Materials and Structures, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6441-8698","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Markus","family":"Lukacevic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Christian Doppler Laboratory for Next-Generation Wood-Based Biocomposite, Institute for Mechanics of Materials and Structures, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2979-476X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sebastian","family":"Serna-Loaiza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Christian Doppler Laboratory for Next-Generation Wood-Based Biocomposite, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"United Nations Environment Programme (2022). 2022 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction: Towards a Zero-Emission, Efficient and Resilient Buildings and Construction Sector, United Nations Environment Programme. 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