THE SCHOOL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Under the provisions of the regulations for the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY on Friday August 5, 20162:30 PM in MRDC 4404 will be held the DISSERTATION PROPOSAL DEFENSE for Jeffrey Luo "Processing, Structure, and Properties of Polyacrylonitrile Films and Fibers with High Nanocellulose Loading" Committee Members: Prof. Satish Kumar, Advisor, MSEProf. Robert Moon, Advisor, MSEProf. Yulin Deng, ChBEProf. Kyriaki Kalaitzidou, MEProf. Meisha Shofner, MSE Abstract: Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer on earth with an estimated production of 1010-1012 tonnes per year. With the high production it could be a viable resource to be used to increase sustainability, and reduce our dependence on synthetic polymers made from oil. Recently nanocellulose in the form of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) as potential fillers have been gaining significant interest. This is due to nanocellulose’s high mechanical properties, high surface area, biodegradability, biorenewability, and low toxicity. Polyacrylonitrile is the predominant precursor polymer for carbon materials such as carbon fiber. The incorporation of cellulose into polyacrylonitrile might be a potential way to make a more renewable carbon fiber. Additionally it has been seen that there might be some interaction between the cellulose and PAN during heating that could prove to be beneficial to the stabilization and carbonization process. In this study nanocellulose will be incorporated into polyacrylonitrile and the composites will be characterized. The effect the nanocellulose will have on the rheological properties on the solution/suspension will be studied. Additionally the effect nanocellulose has on the structure development, along with the changes in the mechanical, thermal, and optical properties on the films and fibers will also be determined. Since this composite can potentially be converted to a carbon material the changes in the stabilization and carbonization will also be studied.