In the last decade, ionic liquid solvents have been developed for a wide variety of natural substrates (biopolymers) and have also been shown to augment the interactions of polymeric materials with functional micromaterials and nanomaterials (i.e., carbon nanotubes, clay, magnetic materials, et cetera).  In the past several years, the Trulove/De Long research group has demonstrated �Natural Fiber Welding�: an ionic liquid-based processing paradigm for generating functionalized composites from (primarily) fibrous biopolymer substrates.  Fiber welding involves the selective mobilization of biopolymers to create composites that retain much of the native microstructures and mesostructures found in the native (unprocessed) substrates.  Ionic liquid solvents penetrate fiber surfaces and open the outermost portions to chemical derivatization while also extending and reorganizing hydrogen bonding networks between adjacent fibers.  Our presentation will focus on analytical characterizations of welded fiber-matrix composites.  In particular, we will discuss fluorescence spectromicroscopy data that characterize interfacial regions of welded composites (between what were previously individual fibers).

Fluorescence spectromicroscopic characterizations of fiber welded biocomposite materials

246th National Meeting (2013)

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