Controlled Assembly of Nanocellulose into Functional Hierarchical Mesostructures

由于石油储量的不断枯竭和环境的恶化，适应更加可持续和绿色的原材料来源是非常紧迫的。天然丰富的生物质是一种重要的原料原料，如果得到有效利用，有可能取代石油基材料。纳米纤维素作为植物细胞壁的基本组成部分，具有机械性能高、比表面积大、表面官能团多样等优异性能。纳米纤维素的天然丰度和良好的性能使其成为设计高性能材料的理想选择。然而，纳米纤维素的实际应用仍然受到限制，因为与石油基材料相比，其组装材料的性能较差，而且功能有限。在过去，我对纳米纤维素组装成不同结构的目标应用进行了大量的研究。所设计的结构包括连续亚微米纤维、超轻和高吸水性气凝胶、透明和等离子体薄膜。这些分层结构材料可广泛应用于过滤、吸收、水净化、水污染物检测与降解、储能等领域。

Due to continuous petroleum reserve depletion and environmental deterioration, it is of significant urgency to adapt to a more sustainable and greener source of raw materials. The naturally abundant biomass represents an important raw materials feedstock, which can potentially replace petroleum-based materials if being efficiently utilized. As a basic building block in the plant cell wall, nanocellulose exhibits several superb properties such as high mechanical performance, large specific surface area, and versatile surface functional groups. The natural abundance and good performance have made nanocellulose an excellent candidate for designing high performance materials. However, more practical applications of nanocellulose are still limited due to the inferior performance of the assembled materials compared to petroleum-based counterparts and limited functionalities. In the past, I have investigated heavily on the assembly of nanocellulose into varied structures for targeted applications. The designed structures include continuous sub-micron fibers, ultralight and superabsorbent aerogel, transparent and plasmonic films. These hierarchical structured materials can be widely used for filtration, absorbents, water purification, water pollutant detection and degradation, and energy storage. The long-term objective of my research program is to foster fundamental understanding and robust control of the assembly of nanocellulose into varied hierarchical structures, which can promote the development of high performance sustainable functional biomaterials with expanded applications. I have made significant contributions in these proposed areas, and I am confident that my group will continue to contribute in this field, to help foster a sustainable bioeconomy for Canada. During the next 5 years of this Discovery Grant, we will expect to deliver significant outcomes in the utilization of sustainable biomaterials, including (1) more efficient and greener process will be developed to isolate and chemically modify lignocellulosic nanomaterials; (2) high performance materials with exceptional mechanical, optical, thermal, and conductive properties will be fabricated; (3) applications of the assembled materials in the area of energy and environment (supercapacitor, lithium battery, and catalysts) will be investigated. All together, my research group will benefit the Canadian forest industry in diversifying its products portfolio, promoting sustainability, and reducing environmental impacts.