Studying and improving the thermal stability of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cellulose filaments

纤维素纳米晶体和纤维素长丝是由加拿大森林产品工业制备的可再生资源基纳米材料。这些新兴材料有望在从涂料到复合材料的应用中取代目前的油基材料。此外，这些材料具有新的和重要的特性，在生物医学应用，药物输送，航空航天技术，汽车和其他领域提供了新的机会。我们的工业合作伙伴FPInnovations正在积极开发这些新材料的市场。目前对应用的一个限制是材料的热稳定性，因为它限制了将它们掺入其中的产品的加工。在这里，我们建议进行一个全面的研究，这些材料的热降解机制，使用各种各样的分析技术，包括热重分析，差示扫描量热法，粉末X射线衍射，多核固态NMR，电子显微镜和其他技术。这些实验将提供对纤维素纳米材料热降解机制的详细了解，并使我们能够对材料表面进行化学改性，以提高其稳定性和工艺兼容性。这项工作对于我们的合作伙伴组织FPInnovations开发引人注目的应用程序和市场至关重要。沿着工业上重要的基本新知识的降解和表面化学的材料，这项工作的成果将包括HQP培训在工业上重要的领域和建立加拿大在最前沿的纳米纤维素材料的研究和开发。这些新材料的未来应用将带来长期利益，包括林业和纸浆造纸行业的新增值产品和市场，以及随之而来的新就业机会和涓滴效应。

Cellulose nanocrystals and cellulose filaments are renewable resource-based nanomaterials prepared by Canada's forest products industry. These emerging materials promise to replace current oil-based materials in applications that range from coatings to composites. As well, these materials have new and significant properties that present new opportunities in biomedical applications, drug delivery, aerospace technology, automobiles, and other areas. Our industrial partner, FPInnovations, is working actively to develop markets for these new materials. One limitation on applications currently is the thermal stability of the materials, as it limits the processing of the products into which they are incorporated. Here, we propose to undertake a comprehensive study of the thermal degradation mechanisms of these materials using a wide variety of analytical techniques, including thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, powder X-ray diffraction, multinuclear solid-state NMR, electron microscopy and other techniques. Together these experiments will provide a detailed understanding of the mechanisms responsible for thermal degradation in cellulosic nanomaterials, and will enable us to chemically modify the materials' surface to improve their stability and process compatibility. This work is essential for our partner organization, FPInnovations, in its efforts to develop compelling applications and markets. Along with the industrially significant fundamental new knowledge of the degradation and surface chemistry of the materials, outcomes of this work will include HQP training in an industrially important area and the establishment of Canada at the forefront of nano-cellulosic materials research and development. Future applications of these new materials will result in longer term benefits including new value-added products and markets for the forestry and pulp & paper industries with concomitant new jobs and trickle-down benefits.