AsianScientist (Jun. 22, 2018) – A research group in China has developed a straightforward and inexpensive method to fabricate water-resistant cellulose nanopaper (CNP). They published their findings in the Journal of Materials Chemistry.
CNP has potential applications in the fields of electronic devices, visual display substrates, batteries and barrier materials due to its excellent mechanical properties and optical properties. It is also renewable and lightweight.
However, due to the hydrophilic nature of cellulose, CNP is sensitive to moisture and may lose its strength and durability in high-moisture environments or in water. To strengthen CNP, scientists previously had to introduce expensive building blocks or complicated procedures.
Using residual lignin as a reinforcing agent between individual CNFs, the tensile strength and toughness of the lignin-containing CNP (255 MPa and 19.7 MJ.m-3) were much higher compared to CNP without lignin (179 MPa and 12.8 MJ.m-3). The water resistance of lignin-containing CNP was also improved, and its maximum wet tensile strength reached 83 MPa, higher than other previously reported CNPs. Lignin-containing CNP also exhibited excellent ultraviolet (UV) blocking ability due to the UV-absorbing functional groups of the residual lignin.
The water resistance of CNP was also improved extraordinarily, and its maximum wet tensile strength reached 83 MPa, higher than other previously reported CNPs. Moreover, the CNP developed in this study exhibited excellent ultraviolet (UV) blocking ability due to the UV-absorbing functional groups of the residual lignin.
The researchers recommend their method as a low-cost, clean and sustainable route for the production of lignin-containing CNP.
The article can be found at: Wang et al. (2018) Flexible Cellulose Nanopaper With High Wet Tensile Strength, High Toughness and Tunable Ultraviolet Blocking Ability Fabricated From Tobacco Stalk via a Sustainable Method.
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Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences; Photo: Pixabay.
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