Towards fully sustainable high-performance biocomposites for lightweight vehicles

纤维素纤维有可能成为玻璃和碳纤维的可持续替代品。然而，它们在商业规模上的应用受到耐用性、耐水性和结构强度/工程性能方面的挑战的限制。在汽车行业，人们有兴趣用生物材料取代玻璃和碳纤维、塑料和金属元素。这种替代将导致车辆重量减轻，从而提高燃油效率和降低碳足迹。据报道，在汽车内饰元素方面已经取得了一些成功，但将生物复合材料应用于外部部件仍然是一个挑战。在本项目中，我们研究了一种新型的纤维素纤维改性，以提高纤维的耐水性和强度/工程性能相关特性。改良的纤维素纤维将被用于生产样品，随后将根据汽车制造商提供的规格进行测试。如果成功，这将是朝着100%生物基材料用于车身迈出的重要一步。

Cellulose fibres hold a potential to provide a sustainable alternative to glass and carbon fibres. However, theirapplication on a commercial scale is limited by the challenges around durability, water resistance, andstructural strength/engineering performance. In the automotive industry, there is interest in replacing glassand carbon fibre, plastic and metal elements with biomaterials. Such substitution will result in the reduction ofvehicle weight, leading to increased fuel efficiency and lower carbon footprint. Some success in this matter hasbeen reported concerning the elements of car interiors, yet application of biocomposites for external partsremains a challenge. In this project we examine a novel modification of cellulose fibres in order to improve thewater resistance and the strength/engineering performance related characteristics. Modified cellulose fibreswill be used to produce samples that will subsequently undergo testing according to the specifications providedby car manufacturers. If successful, it will be a significant step towards 100% bio-based materials to be used ina car body.