High Performance Cement Composites with Nanocrystalline and Nanofribrillated Cellulose

该项目的总体目标是对纤维素纳米晶（CNC）和纳米纤化纤维素（NFC）的行为有一个基本的了解，并利用这些信息开发新一代具有高强度和韧性的基于CNC/NFC的胶凝材料。CNCs/ nfc是其他类型纳米增强材料的替代品，这些材料具有高长宽比、弹性模量和强度、低密度、活性表面，易于功能化，并且易于水分散，无需使用表面活性剂或改性。此外，提取CNCs/ nfc的来源本身是可持续的、可生物降解的、碳中性的，具有较低的环境、健康和安全风险。本研究通过综合方法研究结构-功能关系，为材料设计和表征提供了不同的视角，该方法结合了加工，结构和化学表征，最先进的显微镜和自下而上的多尺度建模，以揭示支撑cnc / nfc纳米力学的物理机制。并通过不同长度尺度的大量实验测试，将其与CNC/ nfc增强胶凝材料的宏观性能联系起来。人们寻求开发新一代高性能、多功能、可再生和可持续的基础设施材料，从根本上打破传统的工程范式。创新的绿色CNC/CNF增强水泥复合材料的发展可以推动这些材料的性能和使用，为其他对环境有害的纳米颗粒提供替代品。使用更高性能的材料是一种方法？少花钱多办事？此外，这些材料可以通过减少建筑基础设施所需的材料数量来帮助降低碳足迹。参与该项目的研究生将在真正的跨学科环境中接受培训。在这个研究项目中所学到的信息将直接进入研究生和本科生的课堂，并在国际会议和期刊出版物中传播。

The overall goal of this project is to develop a fundamental understanding of the behavior of Cellulose Nanocrystal (CNC) and Nanofibrilated Cellulose (NFC) with the goal of using this information to develop a new generation of CNC/NFC-based cementitious materials that show high strength and toughness. CNCs/NFCs are an alternative to other types of nanoreinforcements that have high aspect ratio, elastic modulus and strength, low density, reactive surfaces that enable easy functionalization and are readily water dispersible without the use of surfactant or modification. In addition, the sources that CNCs/NFCs are extracted from are themselves sustainable, biodegradable, carbon neutral, and have low environmental, health and safety risks. This research offers a different perspective to material design and characterization by studying the structure-function relationship through an integrated approach that combines processing, structural and chemical characterization, state-of-the-art microscopy and bottom-up multiscale modeling to unravel the physical mechanisms that underpin CNCs/NFCs nanomechanics, and relate this to the macroscopic properties of CNC/NFC-reinforced cementitious materials through extensive experimental tests at different length scales.There is a quest to develop a new generation of high-performance multifunctional, renewable and sustainable infrastructure materials that radically break traditional engineering paradigms. The development of innovative, green CNC/CNF reinforced cement composites can drive the performance and use of these materials offering an alternative for other environmentally harmful nanoparticles. The use of higher performance materials is one way to ?do more with less?. Furthermore, these materials can help lowering the carbon footprint by reducing the amount of materials needed in the built infrastructure. The graduate students involved in this project will be trained in a truly interdisciplinary setting. Information learned in this research program will be directly brought into the classroom at graduate and undergraduate levels, and disseminated at international conferences and in journal publications.