In the search to improve and incorporate nano and renewable materials into urea-formaldehyde (UF), several researchers have incorporated cellulose nano fibrillated (CNF) into the adhesive. This study aimed to find an optimal way of incorporating CNF into UF and understand how CNF interacts with and changes the properties of the...
Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) require the use of a highly reversible anode. To form this anode carbon nanofibers and nanocrystals are derived from cellulose nanofibers, cellulose nanocrystals, and bacterial nanocellulose. The primary structure of the cellulose nanofibers is maintained when carbonized allowing for high surface area in the structure. The carbon...
Today nano scale materials are being used for wide range of applications. One promising topic in nano scale materials is using them for reinforcement of different polymeric materials to reach desirable stiffness properties. The stiffness of these materials is mostly found experimentally because the nanocomposite community lacks a decent analytical...
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are extremely abundant, biodegradable and light weight nanoparticles that have the potential to contribute in many fields including packaging, construction, solar cells and automotive. With the increasing interest in nanotechnology and nanocomposites, CNCs could provide a renewable, optically transparent and strong alternative to other nano-scale reinforcement phases....
Aerogels are interesting material systems with outstanding properties such as low density, high surface area, and low thermal conductivity. They can be used for a variety of applications, such as solar cells, sensors, or catalysts. Additionally they provide a unique model system to study the properties of small particles. Cellulose...
Polylactic acid (PLA), a renewable material, is used widely in a variety of commercial and specialty applications. However, certain limitations such as high temperature stability and brittleness limit its applicability. This problem is addressed by reinforcing PLA with a variety of materials but the process gives rise to different issues...
Understanding the effect on the materials mechanical properties from the perspective of interfacial interaction between the filler and the polymer matrix has become an important criterion in polymer nanocomposites field. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are renewable materials that can be extracted from natural sources, such as wood, cotton, and tunicates. In...
The development of a transient electric birefringence (TEB) apparatus for macroparticle characterization is herein discussed. The experimental difficulties encountered were related largely to poor data resolution. Misalignment and strain birefringence in optical components further complicated results. Improved data digitization methods were developed, and precise mathematical models were derived in order...
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have received considerable attention over the last ten years because CNCs can be produced from renewable materials such as straw, wood, cotton, and sea animals (tunicates). CNCs are slender rods with high aspect ratios (10-100) and the final dimensions of the CNCs depend on the starting material....
Wood-plastic composites (WPCs) are one of the fastest-growing sectors of the
wood composites industry. However, the strengths of WPCs are typically low
because of the poor interfacial adhesion between hydrophilic wood and
hydrophobic thermoplastics. A compatibilizer that can form bridges between wood
and plastics is required to give WPCs desirable...