Ionic liquids (ILs) are highly versatile solvents that can dissolve a wide variety of materials including biopolymers such as cellulose or silk. A process known as Natural Fiber Welding (NFW) applies this unique property of ILs to the partial dissolution and reconstitution of natural fibers. This allows for material property enhancement, such as increased strength, without the complete sacrifice of the native structure. Adjustable parameters such as time, temperature, and type of ILs control the degree of dissolution. Literature, however, only provides limited quantitative data that describes the impact that NFW has on the dissolution and reconstitution processes. A more complete understanding of the NFW process is important, especially as we continue to develop it for future applications of functional biocomposite materials. In this study, we apply physisorption (Kr and N<sub>2</sub>) and microscopy methods to measure changes to the surface area of cellulosic materials due to systematic variations of NFW process variables.

Evaluating the impact of natural fiber welding on the surface area of biopolymer materials

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.