Designing High Performance All-Cellulose Composites by Dissolution/Swelling of Macro- and Nano-scale Cellulose Fibers

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School of Chemical Engineering | Doctoral thesis (article-based) | Defence date: 2021-02-05
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Authors

Date

2021

Department

Biotuotteiden ja biotekniikan laitos
Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems

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Mcode

Degree programme

Language

en

Pages

88 + app. 94

Series

Aalto University publication series DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS, 6/2021

Abstract

All-cellulose composites (ACCs) is a new generation of biocomposites with both the matrix and reinforcing fibers being based on cellulose. This thesis explores various designs of ACCs using either macro- or nano-scale cellulose fibers as raw materials and ionic liquids (ILs) as cellulose solvents. Prior to ACCs fabrication, the swelling and dissolution kinetics of different cellulose fibers (natural fiber flax, viscose-type Cordenka and two Ioncell fibers with one containing lignin and hemicelluloses) in solvent power tuned ILs (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, [EMIM][OAc] and N-methyl-1,5-diazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-5-enium dimethyl phosphate, [mDBN][DMP]) was studied. High performance unidirectional flax-based ACCs, isotropic filter paper-based ACCs and nanopaper were then produced involving controlled dissolution and/or swelling of cellulose fibers. The fundamental investigation on fibers swelling and dissolution kinetics revealed that the rate of fiber dissolution in [EMIM][OAc] depended on fiber accessibility and solvent viscosity. The fastest dissolution (in [EMIM][OAc] and [EMIM][OAc]-5% water) or swelling (in [EMIM][OAc]-15% water) was recorded for Ioncell fibers and the slowest for Cordenka. An anomalous two-step dissolution-swelling behavior of flax was observed in [mDBN][DMP] and [mDBN][DMP]-water. ACCs from either unidirectional flax or isotropic filter paper were produced via selective dissolution strategy. For flax-based ACCs, it was shown that the mechanical properties were controlled by the sufficient amount of matrix and the non-dissolution of the inner, mechanically strong cell walls in the fiber. The interface between the matrix and the fibers was further artfully re-modelled by utilizing two-step dissolution-swelling phenomenon in [mDBN][DMP], resulting in increased tensile strength in both transverse direction and fiber direction. For isotropic paper-based ACCs, a digital image correlation technique was explored for accuracy enhanced analysis of mechanical properties. A 30-60 min impregnation allowed increasing tensile strength, Young's modulus and toughness of a filter paper in almost 10 times, 5 times and 25 times, respectively.Isotropic ACC constructed from highly disordered and entangled cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) through their self-binding exhibited an exceptional ductility (up to 35%) while combining high strength (up to 260 MPa) and toughness (up to 51 MJ/m3). This was realized by swelling of hemicelluloses in-between the nanofibrils in [EMIM][OAc]–water below the dissolution limit of cellulose and hemicellulose, thus allowing delamination of thick CNF bundles into thinner ones without influencing the length. The results obtained demonstrate that a fundamental understanding of cellulose swelling and dissolution promotes various possibilities to design ACCs with engineered performance. The findings bring new perspectives to the design of macroscale and nanoscale cellulosic materials.

Description

Supervising professor

Budtova, Tatiana, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Finland

Thesis advisor

Budtova, Tatiana, Prof., Aalto University, Finland
Sixta, Herbert, Prof., Aalto University, Finland
Hummel, Michael, Assoc. Prof., Aalto University, Finland

Keywords

cellulose, nanocellulose, ionic liquid, all-cellulose composite, mechanical properties

Other note

Parts

  • [Publication 1]: Feng Chen, Daisuke Sawada, Michael Hummel, Herbert Sixta, Tatiana Budtova (2020) Swelling and dissolution kinetics of natural and man-made cellulose fibers in solvent power tuned ionic liquid. Cellulose 23: 7399–7415.
    Full text in Acris/Aaltodoc: http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202009045276
    DOI: 10.1007/s10570-020-03312-5 View at publisher
  • [Publication 2]: Feng Chen, Daisuke Sawada, Michael Hummel, Herbert Sixta, Tatiana Budtova (2020) Unidirectional all-cellulose composites from flax via controlled impregnation with ionic liquid. Polymers 12: 1010.
    Full text in Acris/Aaltodoc: http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202006254133
    DOI: 10.3390/polym12051010 View at publisher
  • [Publication 3]: Feng Chen, Jean-Luc Bouvard, Daisuke Sawada, Christophe Pradille, Michael Hummel, Herbert Sixta, Tatiana Budtova (2020) Exploring digital image correlation technique for the analysis of the tensile properties of all-cellulose composites. Submitted to Cellulose
  • [Publication 4]: Feng Chen, Xiang Wenchao, Daisuke Sawada, Bai Long, Michael Hummel, Herbert Sixta, Tatiana Budtova (2020) Exploring large ductility in cellulose nanopaper combining high toughness and strength. ACS Nano, 14: 11150–11159.
    Full text in Acris/Aaltodoc: http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202009045285
    DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c02302 View at publisher

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Permanent link to this item

https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-64-0236-9

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[diss] Kemian tekniikan korkeakoulu / CHEM