Better together: synergy in nanocellulose blends
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Mautner, Andreas
Mayer, Florian
Hervy, Martin
Lee, Koon-Yang
Bismarck, Alexander
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Cellulose nanopapers have gained significant
attention in recent years as large-scale reinforcement
for high-loading cellulose nanocomposites, substrates
for printed electronics and filter nanopapers for
water treatment. The mechanical properties of
nanopapers are of fundamental importance for
all these applications. Cellulose nanopapers can
simply be prepared by filtering a suspension of
nanocellulose, followed by heat consolidation. It was
already demonstrated that the mechanical properties
of cellulose nanopapers can be tailored by the fineness
of the fibrils used or by modifying nanocellulose
fibrils for instance by polymer adsorption, but
nanocellulose blends remain underexplored. In this
work, we show that the mechanical and physical
properties of cellulose nanopapers can be tuned by
creating nanopapers from blends of various grades
of nanocellulose, i.e. (mechanically refined) bacterial
cellulose or cellulose nanofibrils extracted from
never-dried bleached softwood pulp by chemical and
mechanical pre-treatments. We found that nanopapers
made from blends of two or three nanocellulose
grades show synergistic effects resulting in improved
stiffness, strength, ductility, toughness and physical
properties.
This article is part of a discussion meeting issue
‘New horizons for cellulose nanotechnology’.
attention in recent years as large-scale reinforcement
for high-loading cellulose nanocomposites, substrates
for printed electronics and filter nanopapers for
water treatment. The mechanical properties of
nanopapers are of fundamental importance for
all these applications. Cellulose nanopapers can
simply be prepared by filtering a suspension of
nanocellulose, followed by heat consolidation. It was
already demonstrated that the mechanical properties
of cellulose nanopapers can be tailored by the fineness
of the fibrils used or by modifying nanocellulose
fibrils for instance by polymer adsorption, but
nanocellulose blends remain underexplored. In this
work, we show that the mechanical and physical
properties of cellulose nanopapers can be tuned by
creating nanopapers from blends of various grades
of nanocellulose, i.e. (mechanically refined) bacterial
cellulose or cellulose nanofibrils extracted from
never-dried bleached softwood pulp by chemical and
mechanical pre-treatments. We found that nanopapers
made from blends of two or three nanocellulose
grades show synergistic effects resulting in improved
stiffness, strength, ductility, toughness and physical
properties.
This article is part of a discussion meeting issue
‘New horizons for cellulose nanotechnology’.
Date Issued
2017-12-25
Date Acceptance
2017-10-17
Citation
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A. Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 2017, 376 (2112)
ISSN
1364-503X
Publisher
Royal Society, The
Journal / Book Title
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A. Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Volume
376
Issue
2112
Copyright Statement
© 2017 The Author(s)
Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved
Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved
Sponsor
EPSRC
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)
Grant Number
EP/M012247/1
EP/M012247/1
Subjects
Science & Technology
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Science & Technology - Other Topics
nanocellulose
bacterial cellulose
fibre network structures
synergistic effects
nanopaper
TEMPO-MEDIATED OXIDATION
BACTERIAL CELLULOSE
NANOFIBRILLATED CELLULOSE
NATIVE CELLULOSE
NANOPAPER
COMPOSITES
NANOFIBERS
NANOCOMPOSITES
FILMS
PAPER
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
20170043