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The Future for Cellulose Nanomaterials
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The Future for Cellulose Nanomaterials

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2018) | Viewed by 17383

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Youssef Habibi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Esch-sur-Alzette L-4362, Luxembourg
Interests: polysaccharides; biomaterials; green chemistry; biofillers; sustainability
Prof. Dr. Qinglin Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Ag Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Interests: composites; polymer; engineering; nanomaterial; cellulose; wood

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanocelluloses have attracted tremendous interest among the scientific and industrial communities for their outstanding properties, amenable for a wide range of highly-sophisticated applications. Nowadays, nanocellulose technology is evolving from a laboratory bench-scale process to industrialized production, and this trend is does not seem to wane and production and utilization will continue to grow rapidly. However, large-volume production of nanocellulose has yet to be developed, mainly due to the high costs resulting from the lack of cost-effective and green processing technologies in the manufacturing of nanocellulose. On other hand, applications are still limited to niche markets, impeded by the unavailability of standard nanocellulose products and also by technological issues related to the processing of nanocellulose-based materials. In this Special Issue, we invite manuscripts aiming to provide insights on the understanding of the science and/or industrial processes for the production, fine-tuning of inherent properties and the use of cellulosic nanomaterials in emerging commercial markets.

We are open to a broad range of topics including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Application-oriented reviews
  • Green processes and/or cost effective processes for manufacturing of cellulose nanomaterials
  • Cellulose nanomaterial dewatering and chemical modification approaches
  • New/novel composites and materials containing cellulose nanomaterials
  • Energy and economic analysis of cellulose nanomaterial production
  • Environmental health and safety analysis for using cellulose nanomaterial

Dr. Youssef Habibi
Prof. Dr. Qinglin Wu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 21478 KiB  
Article
Nanocomposites of LLDPE and Surface-Modified Cellulose Nanocrystals Prepared by Melt Processing
by Alojz Anžlovar, Matjaž Kunaver, Andraž Krajnc and Ema Žagar
Molecules 2018, 23(7), 1782; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23071782 - 19 Jul 2018
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4815
Abstract
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were surface modified by esterification in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at 25 °C using different catalysts and anhydrides bearing different alkyl side chain lengths. Unmodified and acetic anhydride (AcAnh)-modified CNCs were studied as potential nanofillers for linear low-density poly(ethylene) (LLDPE). Nanocomposites were [...] Read more.
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were surface modified by esterification in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at 25 °C using different catalysts and anhydrides bearing different alkyl side chain lengths. Unmodified and acetic anhydride (AcAnh)-modified CNCs were studied as potential nanofillers for linear low-density poly(ethylene) (LLDPE). Nanocomposites were prepared by melt processing. Determination of the size and size distribution of CNCs in the nanocomposites by SEM revealed an enhanced compatibility of the AcAnh-modified CNCs with the LLDPE matrix, since the average size of the aggregates of the modified CNCs (0.5–5 μm) was smaller compared to that of the unmodified CNCs (2–20 μm). Tensile test experiments revealed an increase in the nanocomposites’ stiffness and strain at break—by 20% and up to 90%, respectively—at the CNC concentration of 5 wt %, which is close to the critical percolation concentration. Since the CNC nanofiller simultaneously reduced LLDPE crystallinity, the reinforcement effect of CNCs was hampered. Therefore, the molding temperature was increased to 120 °C, and, in this way, the greatest increase of the Young’s modulus was achieved (by ~45%). Despite the enhanced compatibility of the AcAnh-modified CNCs with the LLDPE matrix, no additional effect on the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites was observed in comparison to the unmodified CNC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Future for Cellulose Nanomaterials)
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14 pages, 2223 KiB  
Article
Predicting the Dielectric Properties of Nanocellulose-Modified Presspaper Based on the Multivariate Analysis Method
by Yuanxiang Zhou, Xin Huang, Jianwen Huang, Ling Zhang and Zhongliu Zhou
Molecules 2018, 23(7), 1507; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23071507 - 21 Jun 2018
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3762
Abstract
Nanocellulose-modified presspaper is a promising solution to achieve cellulose insulation with better performance, reducing the risk of electrical insulation failures of a converter transformer. Predicting the dielectric properties will help to further design and improvement of presspaper. In this paper, a multivariable method [...] Read more.
Nanocellulose-modified presspaper is a promising solution to achieve cellulose insulation with better performance, reducing the risk of electrical insulation failures of a converter transformer. Predicting the dielectric properties will help to further design and improvement of presspaper. In this paper, a multivariable method was adopted to determine the effect of softwood fiber on the macroscopic performance of presspaper. Based on the parameters selected using the optimum subset method, a multiple linear regression was built to model the relationship between the fiber properties and insulating performance of presspaper. The results show that the fiber width and crystallinity had an obvious influence on the mechanical properties of presspaper, and fiber length, fines, lignin, and nanocellulose had a significant impact on the breakdown properties. The proposed models exhibit a prediction accuracy of higher than 90% when verified with the experimental results. Finally, the effect of nanocellulose on the breakdown strength of presspaper was taken into account and new models were derived. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Future for Cellulose Nanomaterials)
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15 pages, 3507 KiB  
Article
A General Aqueous Silanization Protocol to Introduce Vinyl, Mercapto or Azido Functionalities onto Cellulose Fibers and Nanocelluloses
by Marco Beaumont, Markus Bacher, Martina Opietnik, Wolfgang Gindl-Altmutter, Antje Potthast and Thomas Rosenau
Molecules 2018, 23(6), 1427; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23061427 - 12 Jun 2018
Cited by 59 | Viewed by 7780
Abstract
The effective and straight-forward modification of nanostructured celluloses under aqueous conditions or as “never-dried” materials is challenging. We report a silanization protocol in water using catalytic amounts of hydrogen chloride and then sodium hydroxide in a two-step protocol. The acidic step hydrolyzes the [...] Read more.
The effective and straight-forward modification of nanostructured celluloses under aqueous conditions or as “never-dried” materials is challenging. We report a silanization protocol in water using catalytic amounts of hydrogen chloride and then sodium hydroxide in a two-step protocol. The acidic step hydrolyzes the alkoxysilane to obtain water-soluble silanols and the subsequent addition of catalytic amounts of NaOH induces a covalent reaction between cellulose surficial hydroxyl groups and the respective silanols. The developed protocol enables the incorporation of vinyl, thiol, and azido groups onto cellulose fibers and cellulose nanofibrils. In contrast to conventional methods, no curing or solvent-exchange is necessary, thereby the functionalized celluloses remain never-dried, and no agglomeration or hornification occurs in the process. The successful modification was proven by solid state NMR, ATR-IR, and EDX spectroscopy. In addition, the covalent nature of this bonding was shown by gel permeation chromatography of polyethylene glycol grafted nanofibrils. By varying the amount of silane agents or the reaction time, the silane loading could be tuned up to an amount of 1.2 mmol/g. Multifunctional materials were obtained either by prior carboxymethylation and subsequent silanization; or by simultaneously incorporating both vinyl and azido groups. The protocol reported here is an easy, general, and straight-forward avenue for introduction of anchor groups onto the surface of never-dried celluloses, ready for click chemistry post-modification, to obtain multifunctional cellulose substrates for high-value applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Future for Cellulose Nanomaterials)
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