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

纤维素纳米晶和纤维素丝是加拿大林产工业生产的可再生资源型纳米材料。这些新兴材料有望在从涂层到复合材料的各种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FPInnovation正在积极努力为这些新材料开拓市场。目前应用的一个限制是材料的热稳定性，因为它限制了加入材料的产品的加工。在这里，我们建议利用各种分析技术，包括热重分析、差示扫描量热法、粉末X射线衍射、多核固体核磁共振、电子显微镜和其他技术，对这些材料的热降解机理进行全面的研究。综上所述，这些实验将提供对纤维素纳米材料热降解机理的详细了解，并使我们能够对材料表面进行化学修饰，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FP Innovation努力开发引人注目的应用程序和市场至关重要。除了材料的降解和表面化学方面具有重大工业意义的基本新知识外，这项工作的成果将包括在一个具有工业重要性的领域进行HQP培训，并使加拿大处于纳米纤维材料研究和开发的前沿。这些新材料的未来应用将带来更长期的好处，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益。

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.