2 research outputs found
Dual-Templating Approach for Engineering Strong, Biodegradable Lignin-Based Foams
Technical lignins are generated as
byproducts from the wood pulping
industry. Although their estimated annual production amounts to approximately
70 million tons, their exploitation as value-added products remains
insignificant. Yet, the diversity in the molecular structure and surface
chemistry of technical lignins and their intrinsic role as mechanical
support of plants may be an asset to consider in the engineering of
plant-inspired materials such as biofoams. Valorization of lignins
into solid foams, however, rarely accounts for more than 45–50
wt % of lignins because of their brittle nature. Herein, we report
a strategy to develop fully biodegradable lignin-based foams of high
stiffness, strength, and toughness that are comparable to, or in some
cases exceed, the performance of petroleum-derived foams. A dual-templating
approach using ice and cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) as templates was
selected to control the porous architecture of the foams made by the
assembly of lignin and cellulose in the cell walls. Foams with varying
lignin-to-CNF weight ratios showed enhanced structural and mechanical
integrity compared with neat lignin and CNF foams. For 80–90
wt % of lignin, a significant increase (+50%) in the foams’
compressive performance was observed. Varying the degree of sulfonation
of lignin and in turn its chemical interaction with cellulose enabled
the generation of biodegradable composite foams with tunable compressive
strength. The greater the colloidal stability of the lignin-CNF suspension,
the higher the foams’ compressive performance. This study thus
discusses an engineering approach for the valorization of technical
lignins into sustainable foams that have potential as packaging materials
and sandwich panels, in which high stiffness, strength, and toughness
per unit weight are required
Analysis of the Porous Architecture and Properties of Anisotropic Nanocellulose Foams: A Novel Approach to Assess the Quality of Cellulose Nanofibrils (CNFs)
Cellulose
nanofibrils (CNFs) are a unique nanomaterial because
of their abundant, renewable, and biocompatible origin. Compared with
synthetic nanoparticles, CNFs are commonly produced from cellulose
fibers (e.g., wood pulp) by repetitive high-shear mechanical disintegration.
Yet, this process is still highly demanding in energy and costly,
slowing down the large-scale production and commercialization of CNFs.
Reducing the energy consumption during fibers fibrillation without
using any chemical or enzymatic pretreatments while sustaining the
CNF quality is challenging. Here, we show that the anisotropic properties
of the CNF foams are directly connected to the degree of nanofibrillation
of the cellulose fibers. CNFs were produced from wood pulps using
a grinder at increasing specific energy consumptions. The anisotropic
CNF foams were made by directional ice templating. The porous architecture,
the compressive behavior of the foams, and the CNF alignment in the
foam cell walls were correlated to the degree of fibrillation. A particular
value of specific energy consumption was identified with respect to
the highest obtained foam properties and CNF alignment. This value
indicated that the optimal degree of fibrillation, and thus CNF quality,
was achieved for the studied cellulose pulp. Our approach is a straightforward
tool to evaluate the CNF quality and a promising method for the benchmarking
of different CNF grades