Biomass offer abundant renewable resources while presents challenges for conversion due to the diverse source, complex structure and heterogeneous compositions. By focusing on the unique attributes of specific biomass, strategic approaches can offer unmatched advantages. Cellulose, the nature’s most abundant polymer, has many unique attributes from diverse chemical reactivity to intrinsically crystalline and fibrillar native structure. Depending on the sources and processes, various top-down and bottom-up approaches have been exploited to create novel 1D to 3D structures and functional materials. This paper highlights some recent effort. Dissolved cellulose derivatives have been facilely electrospun into homogeneous or hybrid nanofibers as well as micro-porous, meso-porous, shealth-core structures and surface active membranes and nanocomposites. Highly crystalline I beta nanocellulose in varied geometries and surface chemistries have been efficiently derived via diverse ways to exhibit unique dispersing and emulsifying properties for oil-water emulsions, coagulants for microbes as well as templates for nanoparticles and nanoprism molecular sensors. Self-assembled structures, such as super-absorbent hydrogels and amphiphilic aerogels have demonstrated for separation, recovery and removal (oils, hydrocarbons, dyes, metals, etc.) as well as conductive, strain sensing and stimuli-responsive fibers, films and coatings.

1D to 3D hierarchical structural materials from biomass

2019 Spring National Meeting

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