YRA – Nanoengineered by Nature: Energy Storage Materials from Self-Assembled Cellulose Nanocrystals
Supercapacitors employing electrochemical double layer capacitance (EDLC) for charge storage require electrode materials with high specific surface areas and narrow, nanoscale pore size distributions.[1,2] Activated carbons, which are cost-effective to produce and have the necessary surface area and pore geometries, are often used for this purpose.[2] Abundant biopolymers such as cellulose are interesting sources for […]
14.Keynote – Structures and diffraction patterns for cellulose I beta unit cells with different dimensions, optimized with DFT-3D
Diffraction indicates varied cellulose Iβ unit cell dimensions. Reasons include relatively weak van der Waals forces along the unit cell a-axis and varying crystallite dimensions. Although a crystal structure is available for large-crystal tunicate cellulose , there is less information about commercial cellulose structures with smaller crystallites. This is a problem for application of the […]
14.Invited – A hierarchical multiscale modeling framework for wood-based materials
Wood-based materials encompass a broad range of products, including engineered wood, pulp and paper products as well as biocomposites derived from cellulose. These materials are attractive in many ways but the predictability of their properties is obstructed by their complex and hierarchical material structure with features on several length scales that affect the properties, for […]
7.Keynote – Functional polyelectrolyte gels
Polyelectrolytes are basic components of living systems and crucial elements for developing stimuli-responsive and reconfigurable materials. In this lecture, polyelectrolytes designed to organize into architectures with biomimetic functions including catalytic membranes, responsive hydrogels, and ion-conducting membranes will be described with emphasis on their response to the ionic spatial distributions and dynamics.
7.Invited – Quantitative Biomimetics of Fibrous Nanocomposites or How to Befriend Structural Stochasticity
Biomimetic nanocomposites from cellulose and other nanofibers are attractive as resource-conscious alternative to many current load bearing, charge transporting, ion-selective, and optically-active materials. These composites contain a superposition of order and disorder, which makes them difficult to design optimize. Similar pairing or non-randomness and stochasticity is also present in high-performance load-bearing, mass-transporting, ion-selective, and optically-active […]
11.5 Printed circuit board substrates derived from lignocellulose nanofibrils
The growing problem of electronic waste poses an environmental challenge due to petroleum-based materials and toxic metals. Recycling e-waste is complex and costly due to numerous components requiring separation. Using bio-based, biodegradable materials for printed circuit board (PCB) substrates simplifies PCB component separation and improves environmental impact [1]. Hornified cellulose fibrils are promising PCB substrates […]
11.4 Printed electronics directly on wood veneers
Sustainability is becoming an increasingly crucial focus across various industries, reigniting interest in wood as a material. The major objective of this project is to pave the way for the transition of wood from a conventionally utilized resource to a highly functional and, at the same time, aesthetic material. From this transformation, wood will emerge […]
11.6 Fabrication of Lignosulfonate-Based Supercapacitor Electrodes through Self-Activation and Two-Step CO₂ Activation with Plasma Treatment
In this study, we aim to promote the valorization of technical lignin derived from the pulp and paper industry and develop sustainable and environmentally friendly energy storage devices. Lignosulfonate was used as a precursor, and two different approaches were employed: self-activation and two-stage CO2 physical activation, producing porous carbon (PC) and lignosulfonate-activated carbon (LSAC), respectively. […]
7.5 Preparation of defectless TEMPO-oxidized nanocellulose dispersions
Ensuring the quality of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), particularly in terms of dispersibility and defect density, is crucial for fully utilizing their potential. While CNF dispersibility can now be adjusted by selecting appropriate raw material species or employing specific chemical pretreatments, controlling defects remains a challenge. In our previous study, we found that the dent defects […]
14.6 Free energy of solvation simulations enlightening thermodynamics behind lignin solubility
A key property in all lignin valorization processes is the solubility of lignin in different solvents. Therefore, understanding the fundamentals, i.e. the solubility mechanisms from a physicochemical point of view at the atomistic level, is of great importance. Solubility is related to the free energy of solvation, which is a sum of changes in enthalpy […]
