Nano-fibrillated cellulose in its native form, i.e., on the level of individual fibrils, exhibits splendid mechanical behaviors, comparing favorably with advanced high modulus synthetic fibers, but the development of structural products based on this material has proved elusive. The material simply does not lend itself to the formation of long filaments that would emulate carbon or aramid fibers, and its chemistry is not particularly compatible with the commoner industrial resins and adhesives.  When formed into flat paper or thin film sheets, however, NFC can be sliced and thence woven into yarns, molded constructions, and origami configurations that excellently exploit its inherent properties, and which have no parallel in the advanced composite construction techniques of today. These NFC constructions promise better overall performance and versatility. Because of its piezoelectric characteristics NFC is also endowed with smart materials capabilities which can be synergistic with the unique structural architectures and geometries it makes possible. Equally significant, is its low cost compared to present day advanced composites and its ready availability from a vast number of sources.<br/>The real challenge at present in commercializing high performance structural NFC is to accelerate the paper making process to the point where it is comparable with the mass production of conventional long fiber cellulose papers. Emergent Properties/Cellulistics has performed research in the area of structural NFC for several years and anticipates the announcement of breakthrough fabrication processes some time in 2016.

Nano-fibrillated cellulose in high performance structural applications

251st National Meeting (2016)

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