In-situ polymerization of functional polymers within the fiber cell wall
In this project, the fiber wall is modified to enable diffusion of functional monomers and subsequent polymerization and crosslinking within the wet-fiber wall resulting in a stiff and elastic fiber-composite. The fibers are modified in a fully biobased system and the end material is biocompatible and degradable.
Enzymatic engineering of hemicellulose hydrogels
In this project we will engineer hemicellulose hydrogels using a wide range of enzymes, from oxidative laccases that introduce crosslinking to specific hydrolases that cleave selectively side chains from the hemicelluloses. We expect that the enzymatic treatments will modulate the network interactions in the hydrogels and the rheological properties. We will investigate the morphology and […]
Wood modification towards hierarchical catalyst
Electrocatalytic reaction is a green technology for sustainable energy conversion, materials design, environment remediation, and green chemistry, where the role of catalyst is essential. Hierarchical structures combining multi-scale pores are favorable due to combined high specific surface area, mass diffusion in the structure and accessibility to the surface. In nature, biological materials are much more […]
Soft highly swelling fibres by alkali-activated chemical modification
To make cellulose fibres more flexible and malleable, components inside the fibre must be properly modified, that is, the lignin, hemicellulose or cellulose needs to be at least partly transformed into a proper derivative. Several cellulose derivatives are today produced through chemical reactions that involves formation of ether bonds. To reach sufficient efficiency, these reactions […]
Wood-based barriers for wood-based materials
Paper/wood-based materials suffer from poor barrier and moisture-sensitive properties (left figure). By learning how nature (plants/fruits) create moisture and gas barriers, we have developed crosslinked barrier biopolyesters (representing the cutin layer in plants) with also a process that yields a rough wax-like outer layer, similar to what is observed in plants, giving high surface hydrophobicity […]
Physical Structure and Interactions between Lignin and its Surroundings
The aim of the project is to gain a deeper fundamental understanding of how the classical structural factors and unique morphology of lignin affects the interaction between lignin and lignin-based materials and its surroundings. The affect of chemical structure and morphology on the material performance of lignin-based materials will be investigated along with the behavior […]
Water based wood treatment
For a more sustainable production of wood aerogel, treatment with the water based solvent, NaOH, can give the wood template a porous structure in sub-zero conditions. However, it is found that the porosity of the wood templates treated with NaOH (aq) can be affected at room temperature conditions as well. Towards a greener aerogel production, […]
Cellulosed based foams for water purification
We have designed foams which are built only from green components and can be prepared in up-scalable and easy manner: blending and oven-drying. Amyloid nanofibrils are used mainly as a foaming agent and cellulose nanofibrils are playing the role of the main visco-elastic stabilizer. We also use covalent cross-linking to enhance foam resistance towards capillary […]
BIOdegradable vegan networks from REcycled agro-food waste as sustainable single-use abSORBents (BioRESorb)
The objective is to develop biodegradable absorbents containing nonwoven fiber networks from agro-food biomass waste. The material's structure-absorption relationship will be investigated and designed to make a fully bio-based absorbent core encapsulated in a natural nonwoven fabric. The raw materials will also be combined with other natural polymers to provide additional functionality (antimicrobial or binding […]
Structure-properties relationship of covalently crosslinked cellulose networks
In this work, the structure-property relationship of covalently crosslinked cellulose networks is studied by utilizing surface modified cellulose nanofibrils and polymer links of defined structure and molecular weight. The effect of molecular weight, chemical functionality and concentration on specific surface area, swelling, and mechanical properties of the hydrogel networks will be investigated.
Bio-sourced, oven-dried and wet-stable foams based on cellulose and amyloid nanofibrils
In the recent decades, foams have been extensively used for different applications such as: packaging, thermal and acoustic insulation, energy storage, and water purification. However, fabrication of foams from renewable resources through green methods with scale-up potential is challenging. In this context, cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) as the most abundant bio-derived nanofibrils with outstanding physical properties […]
Defibrillation of cellulosic substrates by novel bio-based ionic liquids
New bio-based ionic liquids were developed as a greener and simple pathway for the activation of cellulosic substrates compatible with chemical modification (such as in situ polymerization). Preliminary experiments showed that these ionic liquids promote swelling/dispersing/defibrillation/partial dissolution of cellulose while retaining cellulose I crystalline structure after regeneration (full dissolution is not achieved). To get a […]
