Advanced resonator - and imaging-based characterization of morphology and aggregation in CNCs and CFs

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The expanded title of this project is "Advancing the understanding and measurement of the properties of CNCs and CNC-based nanocomposites through Impedometric- and Imaging-based characterization". Cellulose nanocrystals and nanofilaments constitute an exciting nanomaterial that has recently attracted strong attention from the scientific community. At the same time, a number of physical phenomena in cellulosic nanomaterials remain inadequately understood, which in turn, is limiting their use in potential structural, optical, electronic and sensing applications. In this context, the primary scientific objective of the proposal is to conduct fundamental research into the properties and behavior of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cellulose nanofilaments (CNFs) with the intention of expanding their applications in binary and multicomponent blends/composites. The novelty of our proposed work originates in the relatively unique suite of methodologies we propose to employ to study CNCs and CFs, and blends of CNCs with other functional materials. In this proposal, we present two hitherto unused techniques, namely Impedometric microwave resonator-based characterization and Imaging-based characterization, which are not only complementary to the existing techniques but also aim to apply proven methodologies from other areas (inorganic nanostructures in the case of microwaves, biomolecules in the case of TIRF) to the study cellulosic nanomaterials. The vast majority of real-world applications of CNCs and CFs require blending with another solid component. Yet, most of the present characterization methods for CNCs and CFs either are completely inapplicable to solid-state composites (e.g. DLS) or else are cumbersome (e.g. XRD) or else imprecise and unreliable due to overlapping signals or peak shifts (.e.g Raman, FTIR), a deficiency which we seek to address using the Impedometric- and Imaging-based characterization methods. This CRD project will also attempt to advance the fabrication and characterization of electronic composites based on CNCs and CFs.