Assessment of a one step method for the chemical functionalization of Cellulose Nanocrystals

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Cellulose is the most abundant structural polymer in nature and has been used for millennia as a source of fuel, building materials, and textile fibers. Its widespread use is primarily due to its intrinsic physical, chemical and mechanical properties that arise from the hierarchical organization of cellulose within plant cell walls. Nowadays, the arsenal of cellulosic nanomaterials at our disposal spans particles with lengths of 10's of nanometers to millimeters and aspect ratios from 1 to 1000. Nanocellulosic materials not only exhibit enhanced optical and mechanical properties, but also show unique piezoelectric, and electromagnetic properties that either do not exist or cannot be exploited in their macroscale counterparts. These attributes and their versatility have made nanotechnologists dub cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as "nature's carbon nanotubes". The use of CNCs in practical applications relies on our ability to tailor their surface chemistry and understand how these modifications impact their unique properties and colloidal behavior. Despite advances in cellulose nanotechnology, a number of important challenges remain. Perhaps the most pressing challenge for the successful development and commercialization of CNC-based materials is the optimization of nanoparticle dispersion in a variety of solvents and composite materials. Thus, functionalization procedures that are simple, economic, can be carried out in aqueous solutions, and can efficiently modify the surface chemistry of CNCs along with the detailed characterization of the functionalized CNCs, are in high demand for the incorporation of CNCs into industrially-relevant materials. The Moran-Mirabal Research Group has developed a simple and inexpensive method to functionalize cellulosic materials using triazinyl derivatives. The present proposal aims to assess the efficiency of this surface chemistry in functionalizing CNCs produced by CelluForce and allowing them to be dispersed in solvents with a range of polarities. The successful completion of the proposed research will provide CelluForce with methods to readily disperse CNCs into a variety of solvents, allowing them to be incorporated at high concentrations in high value products.