Synthesis of Cellulose Nanofiber Composites for Mechanical Reinforcement and Other Advanced Applications

Abstract

Cellulose nanofibers from bioresources have attracted intensive research interest in recent years due to their unique combination of properties including high strength and modulus, low density, biocompatibility/biodegradability and rich surface chemistry for functionalization. The nanofibers have been widely studied as nanoreinforcements in polymer nanocomposites; while the nanocomposite research is still very active, new research directions of using the nanofibers for hydrogels/aerogels, template for nanoparticle synthesis, scaffold, carbon materials, nanopaper, etc. have emerged. In this Ph.D. thesis, fundamental studies and application developments are performed on three types of cellulose nanofibers, i.e. cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) and bacterial cellulose (BC). First CNCs and CNFs are systematically compared in terms of their effects on the mechanical properties, crystallization and failure behavior of the nanocomposites, which provides a guideline for the design of cellulose nanofiber reinforced composites. Second, CNFs and BC are used to develop core-shell carbon fibers and flexible carbon aerogels for energy storage applications. This part is focused on developing nanocarbon materials with multi-scale features. Lastly, hybrid CNC/CNF nanopaper with superior optical, mechanical, and electrical properties is developed and its application is demonstrated on a LED device.