Fossil-based polymers are the main ingredient of most consumer plastics, coatings and adhesives, but our over-reliance of synthetic polymers comes with an unacceptable cost to the environment. Cellulose is a widely available and renewable biopolymer, which can offer replacements for fossil-based polymers. Especially cellulosic nanomaterials have gained a lot of attention due to their outstanding material properties, such as low density and high mechanical strength.
However, replacing synthetic polymers directly with nanocellulose is not possible due to their widely different material properties. Chemical modification of cellulose is therefore required to achieve similar material properties, such as flexibility and transparency that are commonly associated with synthetic polymers.
To facilitate the use of cellulose in replacing synthetic polymers, sustainable methods to modify cellulose nanomaterials are required.
‘A major hurdle in chemical modification of native cellulose comes from the strong network of hydrogen bonds within and between cellulose fibrils, which hinders the dissolution and dispersion of cellulose in common solvents and therefore largely prevents the introduction of desired functionalities,’ says Mauri Kostiainen, Professor at Aalto University, School of Chemical Engineering.
‘We addressed this problem by employing solid-state reactions, which minimizes or eliminates the use of solvents. Mechanochemistry, in particular, has become an increasingly important green method not only in organic and (metallo)organic synthesis but also in polymer science and materials chemistry’ explains Sandra Kaabel, Assistant professor at Aalto University, School of Chemical Engineering.
About Aalto University
AALTO University is a multidisciplinary university in the fields of Science and Technology, Economics, Architecture, and Art and Design. It has 409 faculty members and a student body of 20,000, 70% of which are students in Science and Technology. AALTO University was founded in 2010 by merging three Finnish universities: The Helsinki School of Economics, The University of Art and Design Helsinki, and Helsinki University of Technology. The three schools are all leading institutions in their respective fields and in their own right. Aalto University is a multidisciplinary community where Science and Art meet Technology and Business. The university is committed to identifying and solving grand societal challenges and building an innovative future.
Fossil-based polymers are the main ingredient of most consumer plastics, coatings and adhesives, but our over-reliance of synthetic polymers comes with an unacceptable cost to the environment. Cellulose is a widely available and renewable biopolymer, which can offer replacements for fossil-based polymers. Especially cellulosic nanomaterials have gained a lot of attention due to their outstanding […]
