A new eco-friendly method to modify cellulose for sustainable materials
October 10, 2024 – Fossil-based polymers are the primary components of most consumer plastics, coatings, and adhesives, but they come with significant environmental drawbacks. In contrast, cellulose is considered a promising alternative. It is a widely available, renewable biopolymer that could replace fossil polymers in many applications. Cellulose nanomaterials, in particular, have attracted attention due to their excellent material properties, such as low density and high mechanical strength.
However, directly replacing synthetic polymers with nanocellulose is not feasible because their material properties – such as flexibility and transparency – differ significantly. Therefore, cellulose must first be chemically modified, but the chemicals typically used raise environmental concerns.
Researchers at Aalto University have now developed a method to modify cellulose that reduces the use of toxic solvents by more than ten times compared to traditional methods. The study was published in the journal Green Chemistry under the title ‘Mechanochemical Modification of Cellulose Nanocrystals by Tosylation and Nucleophilic Substitution’ and can be found on the Aalto
