New Plant-Derived Material is Stronger Than Bone and Hard as Aluminum
Scientists from MIT have crafted a new composite material from a greater part of cellulose nanocrystals and a synthetic polymer.
Research on the new material has been published in the journal Cellulose.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have engineered a new composite material made from cellulose and synthetic polymer. Cellulose fibers provide all plant cells with their structural rigidity and comprise cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). These CNCs are stronger and stiffer than Kevlar on a nanoscale.
The CNCs compose 60 to 90 percent of the composite, the greatest portion attained to date, with the rest composed of synthetic polymer. The microscale structure of the composite is comparable to a brick-and-mortar structure. The scientists claim the composite is stronger and tougher than some types of bone and harder than common aluminum alloys.
“By producing composites with CNCs at high loading, we can offer polymer-based materials mechanical properties they never had in the past. If we can change some petroleum-based plastic with naturally-derived cellulose, that is perhaps much better for the planet too,” claimed A. John Hart, professor of mechanical engineering.
“We essentially deconstructed wood and reconstructed it. We took the most effective wood components, which are cellulose nanocrystals, and rebuilt them to get a brand-new composite material. If you could avoid shrinkage, you can keep scaling up, perhaps to the meter scale. If we were to fantasize hugely, we could replace a considerable portion of plastics with cellulose composites,” claimed Abhinav Rao, Ph.D.
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