Highly Stable, Functional Hairy Nanoparticles and Biopolymers from Wood Fibers: Towards Sustainable Nanotechnology

The overall goal of this procedure is to produce a new class of cellulose based nanoparticles and biopolymers, including a unique nanocrystalline cellulose that bears both crystalline and amorphous parts, and is thus called hairy nanocrystalline cellulose. This method can help provide key building blocks to advance the sustainable nanotechnology field. The main advantage of this technique is that through simple chemical reactions, cellulose fibers are converted to highly functional nanoparticles and biopolymers.

The invention of hairy nanocrystalline cellulose has introduced a new opportunity to use cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer in the world, for advanced applications such as bionanocomposites, rheology modifiers, use in environmental remediation, hydrogels, and much more. Hairy nanocrystalline cellulose can be prepared as a-ly-nik neutral or ker-kyn-ickle nanoparticles, each of which has its own unique properties. To begin, tear up Q-90 softwood pulp sheets into approximately two centimeter square pieces.