Nanocomposites utilizing cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are a burgeoning area of research. CNCs are attractive as reinforcing fillers on account of their high tensile stiffness (up to ca. 140 GPa) and relative abundance in nature. They can be obtained from a range of biosources (e.g. cotton, wood, wheat straw or sea creatures known as tunicates) and can vary in aspect ratio (ca. 10 to 100) depending on the biosource. This talk will focus on our studies to grow polymers from these nanorods and the utilization of these hairy CNCs to create stimuli-responsive polymer nanocomposites that mimic the architecture and the mechanical adaptability of the sea cucumber dermis.

Stimuli-responsive hairy cellulose nanocrystals and their composites

246th National Meeting (2013)

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