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Article

Cellulose Nanopaper Structures of High Toughness

Marielle Henriksson^†, Lars A. Berglund*^†, Per Isaksson^‡, Tom Lindstr

m^§ and Takashi Nishino

Fibre and Polymer Technology, Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden, Solid Mechanics, Mid Sweden University/FSCN, 85170 Sundsvall, Sweden, STFI-Packforsk AB, Box 5604, SE-114 86 Stockholm, Sweden, and Chemical Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kobe University, Rokko, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan

Biomacromolecules, 2008, 9 (6), pp 1579–1585

DOI: 10.1021/bm800038n

Publication Date (Web): May 23, 2008

†

Royal Institute of Technology.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Phone: +46-8-7908118 . Fax: +46-8-7908101. E-mail: blund@kth.se.

‡

Mid Sweden University/FSCN.

STFI-Packforsk AB.

Kobe University.

Abstract

Cellulose nanofibrils offer interesting potential as a native fibrous constituent of mechanical performance exceeding the plant fibers in current use for commercial products. In the present study, wood nanofibrils are used to prepare porous cellulose nanopaper of remarkably high toughness. Nanopapers of different porosities and from nanofibrils of different molar mass are prepared. Uniaxial tensile tests are performed and structure−property relationships are discussed. The high toughness of highly porous nanopaper is related to the nanofibrillar network structure and high mechanical nanofibril performance. Also, molar mass correlates with tensile strength. This indicates that nanofibril fracture controls ultimate strength. Furthermore, the large strain-to-failure means that mechanisms, such as interfibril slippage, also contributes to inelastic deformation in addition to deformation of the nanofibrils themselves.

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