New process produces extremely smooth cellulose layers on an industrial scale
With a new spray coating process, very uniform layers of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) can be produced on an industrial scale. X-ray investigations at DESY’s research light source PETRA III as well as investigations with an atomic force microscope and neutron scattering show how the layer is structured and can be tailored for different purposes like extremely thin, smooth and tough nanopaper. A Swedish-German research team led by DESY scientist Stephan Roth presents its structural analyses in the journal Macromolecules.
“Porous, nanostructured cellulose films have a number of advantageous properties that make them interesting for various applications from ultrastrong bio-active fibres to transparent conductive nanopaper,” explains the main author of the study, Calvin Brett from DESY and the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm. “They are lightweight and temperature stable, have excellent mechanical properties, a low density and are made from renewable raw materials – cellulose nanofibers are usually made from wood.”
> Read more on the PETRA III at DESY website
Image: A silicon wafer without (top) and with (bottom) nano-cellulose coating. Each wafer is two centimetres wide and ten centimetres long. The coating is just 200 nanometres thin. Credit: DESY/KTH Stockholm, Calvin Brett.