Nature provides prime examples of lightweight, strong, stiff and tough materials. Their unique properties are realized via the hierarchical self-organization of hard, reinforcing particles and soft, energy-dissipating biopolymer matrix materials. Nacre, wood or silk are paradigms in materials design and teach the importance to achieve defined structures ordered on several length scales.(1-3)These factors inspire for the design of nanocellulose-based hierarchically structured materials to target advanced mechanical behaviour and unlock the full mechanical performance of nanocellulosics.In this contribution, we demonstrate how ordered, self-assembled nanocomposite films with tailored soft matrix polymers and fibers can be prepared and how mechanical properties are coupled to these parameters to achieve superior stiffness and strength. Furthermore, we will show how (i) agglomerates developing in dispersions prior material formation and resulting mesoscale structures/inhomogeneities, as well as (ii) strength and dynamics of interfibrillar interactions define fracture behaviour and mechanical properties in NFC nanopapers.(4-7)Selected References (1) Das, P.; Walther, A. Nanoscale, DOI: 10.1039/C3NR02983B (2013).(2) Das, P.; Schipmann S.; Malho, J.-M.; Zhu, B.; Klemradt, U.; Walther, A. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 5, 3738 (2013).(3) Verho, T.; Karesoja, M.; Das, P.; Martikainen, L.; Lund, R.; Alegria, A.; Walther, A.; Ikkala, O. Adv. Mater.DOI. 10.1002/adma.201301881 (2013).(4) Das, P.; Heuser, T.; Wolf, A.; Zhu, B.; Demco, D; Ifuku, S.; Walther, A., Biomacromolecules, 13, 4205 (2012).(5) Walther, A.; Timonen, J.V.I.; Diez, I.; Laukkaanen, A.; Ikkala, O. Adv. Mater.23, 2924 (2011)(6) Wang, M.; Olszewska, A.; Walther, A.; Malho, J.-M.; Schacher, F. H.; Ruokolainen, J.; Ankerfors, M.; Laine, J.; Berglund, L. A.; Osterberg, M.; Ikkala, O. Biomacromolecules, 12, 2074 (2011)(7) Benitez, A.; Torres-Rendon, J.; Poutanen, M.; Walther, A. submitted.

Order, defects, and dynamics control mechanical properties in nanocellulose materials

247th National Meeting (2014)

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