Identifying Structural Motifs in Polysaccharides for Nanotechnology and Advanced Fibre Processing

*管理良好的森林是储存现代碳的极其重要的资源，可用于创造可持续消费的材料，而不与农业土地竞争。这一想法对地球的健康至关重要，因为十几年后还将有10亿人居住在地球上，需要食物和能源。此外，古代埋藏的碳释放到大气中，全球变暖，以及水力压裂技术带来的环境问题，都增加了人们对化石技术使用的担忧。消费者对减少对环境有害的技术和可生物生产的高质量材料的兴趣，是这项发现计划的推动力，旨在发展从森林资源中创造高性能纤维和新纳米颗粒的科学。*木材和农业残渣含有大量的非纤维素多糖，重量高达三分之一。通过转化为高性能纤维和纳米颗粒来利用这些材料，为以商品为基础的森林产品行业提供了一条独特的途径，为其带来额外价值。随着石油价格的波动，影响了国家的收入，现在是再投资于科学的更重要的时刻，这种科学导致了加拿大森林产品的新技术。这项研究的目的是确定和操纵分离的多糖的分子化学如何导致纳米颗粒的组装和形成有组织的聚合物溶液。具体地说，这项工作将提供将多糖转化为高比表面积纳米颗粒的科学技术，这些纳米颗粒可能用作包装、聚合物增强和涂层/涂料的功能性添加剂，以及用于坚固膜、催化剂载体和医疗应用的溶液纺丝多糖纤维。揭示多糖化学的基本主题如何影响材料加工和由此产生的性能将使人们更好地了解植物的细胞壁组装，以及开发一个可以从森林资源中创造出多种不同应用的材料的平台。**

***Well-managed forests are extremely important resources of stored modern-era carbon that can be used to create materials for sustainable consumption that do not compete with agricultural lands. This idea is central to the health of the earth as another billion people will inhabit the planet in a dozen years requiring both food and energy resources. Furthermore, the release of ancient buried carbon into the atmosphere, global warming, and the environmental issues with fracking have increased concern in the use of fossil technologies. Consumer interest in mitigating environmentally malignant technologies and the high quality materials that can be produced biologically, serve as the impetus for this Discovery Proposal to develop the science to create high performance fibres and new nanoparticles from forest resources.******Wood and agriculture residues contain non-cellulosic polysaccharides in significant mass, up to a 1/3 by weight. Utilizing these materials through the conversion into high performance fibres and nanoparticles provides a unique route to bring additional value for the commodity-based forest products industry. With the price of oil fluctuating, impacting revenues for the nation, there has not been a more important time to re-invest in the science that leads to new technologies for products from Canadians forests. The objective of the research is to determine and manipulate how the molecular chemistry of isolated polysaccharides lead to the assembly of nanoparticles and the formation of organized polymer solutions. Specifically the work will provide the scientific know-how to transform polysaccharides into high surface area nanoparticles potentially useful as functional additives for packaging, polymer reinforcement, and coatings/paints, as well as solution spun polysaccharides fibres useful for strong membranes, catalyst supports, and medical applications. Revealing how the basic motifs of polysaccharide chemistry impact material processing and the resulting performance will enable a greater understanding of the cell wall assembly of plants, as well as the development of a platform where several materials with diverse applications can be created from forest resources.**