new technology! Make cellulose nanomaterials applicable to automobiles
According to foreign media reports, an innovation team at Purdue University hopes to rely on a new technology to provide a more business-friendly way to use sustainable cellulose nanomaterials in automobiles, food packaging and other manufacturing Industry products.
Purdue University research team developed a new method for manufacturers to use nanocellulose, which is a green nanomaterial extracted from natural resources such as plants. When processing nanocellulose, it is usually necessary to add a solvent or other dispersant to the mixture to allow the material to be better dispersed in the polymer.
Jeffrey Youngblood, a professor in the Department of Materials Engineering, Purdue University School of Engineering, said: “Such processing methods can be very expensive for manufacturers and require additional processes and machinery to meet emission standards, because the use of solvents may affect emissions. “
Therefore, innovative researchers at Purdue University invented a method to mix nanocellulose with polymer additives, such as plasticizers, and then mix the mixture into the polymer instead of directly mixing nanocellulose with polymer物mix.
The technology can be applied to a variety of polymers, including nylon in the automotive industry, polylactic acid and polyvinyl vinyl alcohol used in food packaging, and it is easier to extrude or inject nanocellulose to make it better and more Sustainable and useful products.
Youngblood said: “We invented a method that uses additives commonly used in polymers as a “solvent” to disperse nanocellulose during the melting process. In this way, performance can be improved without the need to add Additional emission reduction components make the process of using nanocellulose biodegradable and more sustainable.”
Youngblood said that the main advantages of using Purdue University technology to mass-produce polymers are: 1. Solvent-free synthesis of nanocellulose polymers; 2. Making a uniform mixture of hydrophilic nanocellulose and hydrophobic polymers.