Researchers reported significant progress October 29-30 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory during a second-annual review of consortium research on nanocellulosic materials.  The consortium, organized in 2011 with US Forest Service funding, is a collaboration of the Forest Service, the Agenda 2020 Technology Alliance, and universities. Since 2004, the Forest Service-Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) and the Agenda 2020 Technology Alliance have been working collaboratively with university and other key partners to advance the commercial production and use of nanocellulosic materials from wood-based materials.

Nanocellulosic materials have the potential to become the basis of renewable, recyclable, sustainable materials in a host of applications including films, coatings, packaging, sensors and biosensors, communications, energy generation & storage, flexible electronics, batteries, automotive and aerospace, composite building materials, and much more.

Examples of the types of research and activities reported at the Oak Ridge session included:

• Development of advanced techniques using light and infrared chemical imaging to examine behavior of the materials at the nanoscale that could lead to highly sophisticated separation and material construction techniques.
• Incorporation of nanocellulose in various types of composites to improve fiber-polymer interactions--such insights will facilitate development of commercial applications.
• There are potential applications such as barrier packaging, various types of composites, aerogel insulation, shock absorbers, photovoltaics, and additive manufacturing.
• FPL and the University of Maine-Orono reported growing experience in manufacturing optimization at their small-scale nanocellulose pre-prototype production facilities. They also noted increasing shipments of test materials, suggesting growing interest in the U.S. and abroad.

In addition to IPST and Georgia Tech, researchers from North Carolina State University, Oregon State University, The Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, and University of Maine reported on their work.   Also, ORNL staff provided an in-depth tour of the Spallation Neutron Source, the Center for Nanophase Materials, the High Temperature Materials laboratory, and the BioEnergy Science Center, generating more ideas for nanocellulose research opportunities.

More than 50 industry representatives, university researchers, and government scientists attended including representatives from ORNL’s Advanced Manufacturing and BioEnergy programs.  Georgia Tech was represented by Norman Marsolan, Art Ragauskas, Robert Moon, Natalie Girouard, Carson Meredith, Meisha Shofner, Bernard Kippelen and Yulin Deng.

Georgia Tech was awarded three grants in connection with this program.  One went to Dr. Bernard Kippelen to support his work in nanocellulose for flexible electronics, one to Drs. Carson Meredith and Meisha Shofner to study cellulose nanocrystal-based aerospace electronics, and one to Drs. Yulin Deng and Art Ragauskas for improved barrier packaging.