Cellulose nanofiber networks in the form of cellulose nanopaper are emerging as an important material structure for various industries. Numerous sectors in which cellulose nanopapers could be used rely on high-speed processing machines to achieve high productivities. Hence, studying the viscoelastic properties, strain-rate dependency and creep of cellulose nanopaper is crucial to assess its performance in many potential applications. Even though many researchers have studied the tensile properties of cellulose nanopaper, the range of testing speeds employed were quite limited and the fracture mechanisms proposed were rather speculative. In this study, we prepared bacterial cellulose (BC) nanopaper to study the mechanical performance of 2-D cellulose nanofibers networks free of non-cellulosic compounds such as hemicellulose or pectin. We investigate the time-dependent behavior of cellulose nanopaper and the influence of grammage on its mechanical properties. Model BC nanopapers with grammages of 20, 40, 60 and 80 g m-2 were produced and the influence of strain rate on their tensile properties are investigated. The viscoelastic behavior and creep properties of BC nanopaper are also discussed in this work. Our results hint that BC nanopaper is not significantly sensitive to time-dependent deformations due to its mostly elastic behavior. It is hypothesized that strong hydrogen bonding between the BC fibers and the lack of amorphous hemicellulose in BC nanopaper might prevent significant deformation mechanisms such as fiber slippage from happening.

Time-dependent behavior of cellulose nanofiber networks: Effect of grammage on creep properties and strain-rate dependency

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

[Author Benefits](https://scimeetings.acs.org/?utm_source=pubs_content_marketing&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=0320_MCF_NPI_Launch_Spring_Homepage&ref=pubs_content_marketing)

[How to use SciMeetings](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMeetings-ACSSpring2020-HowToGuide_M3020-Final.pdf)

[Frequently Asked Questions](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMtng_ACSNMSp2020_FAQ_M3120_Final.pdf)

ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

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