Nanotechnology is anticipated to be the next technological wave that will drive many of the innovations in science and engineering. In this discipline, there is a renewed impetus to develop nanomaterials from renewable sources due to the negative impact of using raw materials from traditional carbon sources, such as crude oil. New opportunities in the use of sustainable and renewable material for various advanced engineering applications exist, and cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) offers a new route to product development and formulations in these industrial sectors. The talk will focus on the important role CNC functionalization plays in imparting attractive properties that are critical for their applications. I will discuss the physical interactions between CNC and various amphiphilic compounds, and how these interactions impact their stability and microstructure. In order to fully elucidate the microstructural evolution of CNC/surfactant interactions, rapid and robust characterization techniques for quantifying the evolving molecular structure were used to elucidate their morphologies and microstructure. Various functionalization strategies on the surface of CNC, such as with amphiphilic polymers, inorganic and metallic nanoparticles was developed and exploited for applications in Pickering emulsions, anti-microbial systems, engineered food systems, water treatment and sustainable catalysts. I will end my presentation with some comments on the future directions and new opportunities of CNC in other related market sectors.

Cellulose nanocrystal: A promising sustainable nanomaterial for advanced engineering applications

2019 Spring National Meeting

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