Identifying Structural Motifs in Polysaccharides for Nanotechnology and Advanced Fibre Processing

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***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.**