7 research outputs found
Wood Nanotechnology for Strong, Mesoporous, and Hydrophobic Biocomposites for Selective Separation of Oil/Water Mixtures
Tremendous efforts
have been dedicated to developing effective
and eco-friendly approaches for separation of oil–water mixtures.
Challenges remain in terms of complex processing, high material cost,
low efficiency, and scale-up problems. Inspired by the tubular porosity
and hierarchical organization of wood, a strong, mesoporous, and hydrophobic
three-dimensional wood structure is created for selective oil/water
separation. A delignified wood template with hydrophilic characteristics
is obtained by removal of lignin. The delignified wood template is
further functionalized by a reactive epoxy–amine system. This
wood/epoxy biocomposite reveals hydrophobic/oleophilic functionality
and shows oil absorption as high as 15 g/g. The wood/epoxy biocomposite
has a compression yield strength and modulus up to 18 and 263 MPa,
respectively, at a solid volume fraction of only 12%. This is more
than 20 times that of cellulose-based foams/aerogels reconstructed
from cellulose nanofibrils. The favorable performance is ascribed
to the natural hierarchical honeycomb structure of wood. Oil can be
selectively absorbed not only from below but also from above the water
surface. High oil/water absorption capacity of both types of wood
structures (delignified template and polymer-modified biocomposite)
allows for applications in oil/water separation
Wood Nanotechnology for Strong, Mesoporous, and Hydrophobic Biocomposites for Selective Separation of Oil/Water Mixtures
Tremendous efforts
have been dedicated to developing effective
and eco-friendly approaches for separation of oil–water mixtures.
Challenges remain in terms of complex processing, high material cost,
low efficiency, and scale-up problems. Inspired by the tubular porosity
and hierarchical organization of wood, a strong, mesoporous, and hydrophobic
three-dimensional wood structure is created for selective oil/water
separation. A delignified wood template with hydrophilic characteristics
is obtained by removal of lignin. The delignified wood template is
further functionalized by a reactive epoxy–amine system. This
wood/epoxy biocomposite reveals hydrophobic/oleophilic functionality
and shows oil absorption as high as 15 g/g. The wood/epoxy biocomposite
has a compression yield strength and modulus up to 18 and 263 MPa,
respectively, at a solid volume fraction of only 12%. This is more
than 20 times that of cellulose-based foams/aerogels reconstructed
from cellulose nanofibrils. The favorable performance is ascribed
to the natural hierarchical honeycomb structure of wood. Oil can be
selectively absorbed not only from below but also from above the water
surface. High oil/water absorption capacity of both types of wood
structures (delignified template and polymer-modified biocomposite)
allows for applications in oil/water separation
Wood Nanotechnology for Strong, Mesoporous, and Hydrophobic Biocomposites for Selective Separation of Oil/Water Mixtures
Tremendous efforts
have been dedicated to developing effective
and eco-friendly approaches for separation of oil–water mixtures.
Challenges remain in terms of complex processing, high material cost,
low efficiency, and scale-up problems. Inspired by the tubular porosity
and hierarchical organization of wood, a strong, mesoporous, and hydrophobic
three-dimensional wood structure is created for selective oil/water
separation. A delignified wood template with hydrophilic characteristics
is obtained by removal of lignin. The delignified wood template is
further functionalized by a reactive epoxy–amine system. This
wood/epoxy biocomposite reveals hydrophobic/oleophilic functionality
and shows oil absorption as high as 15 g/g. The wood/epoxy biocomposite
has a compression yield strength and modulus up to 18 and 263 MPa,
respectively, at a solid volume fraction of only 12%. This is more
than 20 times that of cellulose-based foams/aerogels reconstructed
from cellulose nanofibrils. The favorable performance is ascribed
to the natural hierarchical honeycomb structure of wood. Oil can be
selectively absorbed not only from below but also from above the water
surface. High oil/water absorption capacity of both types of wood
structures (delignified template and polymer-modified biocomposite)
allows for applications in oil/water separation
Wood Nanotechnology for Strong, Mesoporous, and Hydrophobic Biocomposites for Selective Separation of Oil/Water Mixtures
Tremendous efforts
have been dedicated to developing effective
and eco-friendly approaches for separation of oil–water mixtures.
Challenges remain in terms of complex processing, high material cost,
low efficiency, and scale-up problems. Inspired by the tubular porosity
and hierarchical organization of wood, a strong, mesoporous, and hydrophobic
three-dimensional wood structure is created for selective oil/water
separation. A delignified wood template with hydrophilic characteristics
is obtained by removal of lignin. The delignified wood template is
further functionalized by a reactive epoxy–amine system. This
wood/epoxy biocomposite reveals hydrophobic/oleophilic functionality
and shows oil absorption as high as 15 g/g. The wood/epoxy biocomposite
has a compression yield strength and modulus up to 18 and 263 MPa,
respectively, at a solid volume fraction of only 12%. This is more
than 20 times that of cellulose-based foams/aerogels reconstructed
from cellulose nanofibrils. The favorable performance is ascribed
to the natural hierarchical honeycomb structure of wood. Oil can be
selectively absorbed not only from below but also from above the water
surface. High oil/water absorption capacity of both types of wood
structures (delignified template and polymer-modified biocomposite)
allows for applications in oil/water separation
Wood Nanotechnology for Strong, Mesoporous, and Hydrophobic Biocomposites for Selective Separation of Oil/Water Mixtures
Tremendous efforts
have been dedicated to developing effective
and eco-friendly approaches for separation of oil–water mixtures.
Challenges remain in terms of complex processing, high material cost,
low efficiency, and scale-up problems. Inspired by the tubular porosity
and hierarchical organization of wood, a strong, mesoporous, and hydrophobic
three-dimensional wood structure is created for selective oil/water
separation. A delignified wood template with hydrophilic characteristics
is obtained by removal of lignin. The delignified wood template is
further functionalized by a reactive epoxy–amine system. This
wood/epoxy biocomposite reveals hydrophobic/oleophilic functionality
and shows oil absorption as high as 15 g/g. The wood/epoxy biocomposite
has a compression yield strength and modulus up to 18 and 263 MPa,
respectively, at a solid volume fraction of only 12%. This is more
than 20 times that of cellulose-based foams/aerogels reconstructed
from cellulose nanofibrils. The favorable performance is ascribed
to the natural hierarchical honeycomb structure of wood. Oil can be
selectively absorbed not only from below but also from above the water
surface. High oil/water absorption capacity of both types of wood
structures (delignified template and polymer-modified biocomposite)
allows for applications in oil/water separation
Optically Transparent Wood from a Nanoporous Cellulosic Template: Combining Functional and Structural Performance
Optically
transparent wood (TW) with transmittance as high as 85%
and haze of 71% was obtained using a delignified nanoporous wood template.
The template was prepared by removing the light-absorbing lignin component,
creating nanoporosity in the wood cell wall. Transparent wood was
prepared by successful impregnation of lumen and the nanoscale cellulose
fiber network in the cell wall with refractive-index-matched prepolymerized
methyl methacrylate (MMA). During the process, the hierarchical wood
structure was preserved. Optical properties of TW are tunable by changing
the cellulose volume fraction. The synergy between wood and PMMA was
observed for mechanical properties. Lightweight and strong transparent
wood is a potential candidate for lightweight low-cost, light-transmitting
buildings and transparent solar cell windows
Nanostructured Wood Hybrids for Fire-Retardancy Prepared by Clay Impregnation into the Cell Wall
Eco-friendly
materials need “green” fire-retardancy treatments, which
offer opportunity for new wood nanotechnologies. Balsa wood (Ochroma
pyramidale) was delignified to form a hierarchically
structured and nanoporous scaffold mainly composed of cellulose nanofibrils.
This nanocellulosic wood scaffold was impregnated with colloidal montmorillonite
clay to form a nanostructured wood hybrid with high flame-retardancy.
The nanoporous scaffold was characterized by scanning electron microscopy
and gas adsorption. Flame-retardancy was evaluated by cone calorimetry,
whereas thermal and thermo-oxidative stabilities were assessed by
thermogravimetry. The location of well-distributed clay nanoplatelets
inside the cell walls was confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis.
This unique nanostructure dramatically increased the thermal stability
because of thermal insulation, oxygen depletion, and catalytic charring
effects. A coherent organic/inorganic charred residue was formed during
combustion, leading to a strongly reduced heat release rate peak and
reduced smoke generation