Because lunch will be provided, it is requested that anyone interested in attending RSVP to Lavon.Harper@ipst.gatech.edu.

Abstract:

In the current trend for a more effective utilization of biomass, increased attention has been focused to the engineered exploitation of xylans as a biopolymer resource in the development of new materials. The xylan backbone has an affinity to cellulose and will adsorb irreversibly on cellulosic surfaces, an inherent property that provides great opportunities for the use of xylan in cellulose-based composites. This study shows how foams of xylan and nanocrystalline cellulose can be formed by using the freeze-casting technique. Effects of xylan molecular structure and solidification conditions on pore morphology are demonstrated and different ways to stabilize the formed structures are presented. Furthermore, it is shown how crosslinking during the freeze-casting process enables production of nanoreinforced hydrogels with tailored porous structures.