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Structural and Functional Materials based on Nanostructure Cellulose Fibrils

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Professor Lars A. Berglund will visit Georgia Tech's campus March 9-10 and is scheduled to deliver a lecture entitled, "Structural and Functional Materials based on Nanostructure Cellulose Fibrils," March 10 at noon in MoSE 1201A.

The event is sponsored by the Renewable Bioproducts Institute and the Georgia Tech Polymer Network.

Lars Berglund is a professor at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. He is the director of Wallenberg Wood Science Center, with an annual funding of 5 million Euros, for a period of 10 years (2009-2018). The focus is on new materials from trees, where nanocellulose is a strong area. His research interest is on nanostructured polymer biocomposites. He is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Science.

His abstract states the following: 

Cellulose is the main reinforcement component in the plant cell wall, and it is present in the form of nanofibers with a diameter typically in the 4-10 nm range. Long flexible cellulose nanofibers (CNF) in excess of 700 nm in length (l) can be disintegrated from bleached wood pulp. It is also possible to prepare shorter (l=100-300 nm) rod-like cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) by acid hydrolysis. Both types of nanocellulose are becoming commercially available at competitive price. The CNF, in particular, is akin to a nanofiber version of aramid (Kevlar) fibers in terms of structure and properties, but synthesized in nature. Nanocellulose particles can be well dispersed in aqueous suspension, and then processed by filtration and drying into porous nanopaper networks. The resulting materials can be combined/impregnated with polymer matrices or inorganic particles to form optically transparent materials with excellent physical and mechanical properties. The compositions can also be dried by specific techniques to form porous foams or aerogels. The presentation will describe the basic characteristics of nanocellulose materials, and how they can be functionalized and used in device applications. One challenge is to maintain nanostructural control, while at the same time using ”green” preparation methods of technical potential.

Status

  • Workflow Status:Published
  • Created By:Kelly Smith
  • Created:03/03/2016
  • Modified By:Fletcher Moore
  • Modified:04/13/2017