High Performance Cement Composites with Nanocrystalline and Nanofribrillated Cellulose

该项目的总体目标是对纤维素纳米晶(CNC)和纳米纤维化纤维素(NFC)的行为有一个基本的了解，目的是利用这些信息开发出具有高强度和高韧性的新一代基于CNC/NFC的胶凝材料。CNCS/NFC是其他类型纳米增强材料的替代品，这些纳米增强材料具有高纵横比、高弹性系数和强度、低密度、反应性表面易于官能化以及易于水分散的特点，无需使用表面活性剂或改性。此外，CNCS/NFC的提取来源本身是可持续的、可生物降解的、碳中性的，并且环境、健康和安全风险较低。这项研究为材料设计和表征提供了一个不同的视角，通过将加工、结构和化学表征、最新显微镜和自下而上的多尺度建模相结合的综合方法来研究结构-功能关系，揭示支撑CNCS/NFC纳米力学的物理机制，并通过不同长度尺度的广泛实验将其与CNCS/NFC增强水泥基材料的宏观性能联系起来。人们试图开发出从根本上打破传统工程范式的新一代高性能多功能、可再生和可持续的基础设施材料。创新、绿色的数控/CNF增强水泥复合材料的开发可以推动这些材料的性能和使用，为其他环境有害的纳米颗粒提供了一种替代方案。使用更高性能的材料是一种用更少的钱做更多的事情的方法。此外，这些材料可以通过减少所建基础设施所需的材料量来帮助降低碳足迹。参与这个项目的研究生将在一个真正跨学科的环境中接受培训。在这个研究项目中学到的信息将被直接带到研究生和本科生的课堂上，并在国际会议和期刊出版物上传播。

The overall goal of this project is to develop a fundamental understanding of the behavior of Cellulose Nanocrystal (CNC) and Nanofibrilated Cellulose (NFC) with the goal of using this information to develop a new generation of CNC/NFC-based cementitious materials that show high strength and toughness. CNCs/NFCs are an alternative to other types of nanoreinforcements that have high aspect ratio, elastic modulus and strength, low density, reactive surfaces that enable easy functionalization and are readily water dispersible without the use of surfactant or modification. In addition, the sources that CNCs/NFCs are extracted from are themselves sustainable, biodegradable, carbon neutral, and have low environmental, health and safety risks. This research offers a different perspective to material design and characterization by studying the structure-function relationship through an integrated approach that combines processing, structural and chemical characterization, state-of-the-art microscopy and bottom-up multiscale modeling to unravel the physical mechanisms that underpin CNCs/NFCs nanomechanics, and relate this to the macroscopic properties of CNC/NFC-reinforced cementitious materials through extensive experimental tests at different length scales.There is a quest to develop a new generation of high-performance multifunctional, renewable and sustainable infrastructure materials that radically break traditional engineering paradigms. The development of innovative, green CNC/CNF reinforced cement composites can drive the performance and use of these materials offering an alternative for other environmentally harmful nanoparticles. The use of higher performance materials is one way to ?do more with less?. Furthermore, these materials can help lowering the carbon footprint by reducing the amount of materials needed in the built infrastructure. The graduate students involved in this project will be trained in a truly interdisciplinary setting. Information learned in this research program will be directly brought into the classroom at graduate and undergraduate levels, and disseminated at international conferences and in journal publications.