Stimuli Responsive Crystalline Nanocellulose (CNC) and Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC)

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Canada's forest industry employs over 140,000 people and contributes nearly $20B to the national GDP. Although it has long been a prominent part of Canada's manufacturing sector, the forestry industry is facing severe economic pressures due to an increasingly competitive global marketplace and declining margins for its products. In the past decade, the industry has shrunk significantly in terms of both employment and value of its products. Innovations in wood products are seen as the key to revitalizing Canada's forest industry, especially the development of products with new properties, not currently in existence, that could give our manufacturers a competitive advantage in the global marketplace. FPInnovations has partnered with researchers at Queen's University to design a "smart" or stimuli-responsive version of a new nanomaterial, "crystalline nanocellulose", that could find applications in a range of products and market sectors including nanocomposites, coatings, varnishes, and iridescent films for use as barrier materials and security paper. Crystalline nanocellulose, or CNC, is a new nanomaterial currently being developed for commercialization. Canada is a leading player in CNC commercialization, and FPInnovations is a partner in the world's first demonstration plant that opened in 2011. The research collaboration will make CNC that is "smart", capable of exhibiting dramatic changes in its chemical and physical properties using only carbon dioxide and air as triggers. There is currently no such product in existence, and therefore an opportunity exists to give Canadian industry a significant advantage. We will also develop a "smart" stimuli-responsive microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). MCC is the conventional form of cellulose widely used in numerous products. Our stimuli-responsive microcrystalline cellulose will present an opportunity for product differentiation and expansion into new markets. The benefits to Canada of this research are exceptional. Our research will help the Canadian forestry industry address challenges in new product innovation as well as providing them with highly trained scientists with the skills required to keep Canadian companies competitive.