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 […]
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.
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 […]
Biomass-derived hybrid materials and composites
The project aim is the design and engineering of biomass-derived composites to substitute petroleum-based materials.
Nanolatexes for cellulose modification
Latex nanoparticles can be prepared via RAFT-mediated polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) in water. They are tailor-made and highly versatile nanoparticles that can be used for modification of cellulosic fibers due to their high affinity. Part of WWSC.
Sustainable High Performance Polymers from Functional Building-Blocks Created in Water
The projects aim to develop new materials based on renewable resources. The synthetic strategy involved is highly modular. This modularity enables a plethora of monomeric building blocks in one step. The final materials originate from abundant, cheap, and renewable reactants, meaning that the developed material would apply to all applications, ranging from advanced biomedical applications […]
Theoretical study of lignin swelling in atomistic details
In this project vi use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate hygroscopic properties of various lignins. Our hope is that structure and dynamics on the atomistic level of details will complement existing macromechanical models. The goal is to test existing atomistic models of lignin subject to its interactions with water. The output of the project […]
Microscopic computed tomography aided finite element modelling of wood
Laboratory X-ray tube-based microscopic computed tomography (XµCT) aided finite element (FE) modelling considers XµCT data to characterize key engineering properties needed for modelling of material behavior. The method includes steps such as XµCT scanning, segmentation, meshing, and fiber reconstruction and can be supported by techniques such as digital image correlation and digital volume correlation. At […]
Characterization of water transport in lignocellulosic systems
The aim of the doctoral project is to understand water transport phenomena in lignocellulosic systems better. The focus thereby lies on the characterization of cellulosic dispersions as well as wood-based materials employing state-of-the-art techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) neutron scattering as well as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
3D nanotomography of wood fibres
Typically imaging of wood cells by 3D nanotomography is performed with the help of TEM or cryo TEM. To get a proper transmission signal, samples should be cut down to 100 nm thickness or even less. In this project we want to avoid extreme sectioning of wood pieces where observation area includes only a part […]
Fundamentals of nanoscale assembly of cellulose nanofiber
I am interested in fundamentals of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) in dilute, semi-dilute, and crowded environment. Specifically, for CNFs, semi-flexibility of fibers and its effect on nano-scale dynamics is a key aspect of my project. At the moment, combining simulations with experiments (X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy) is the strategy to proceed the […]
Structural Modification Softwood Pulp Cell Wall Under Extreme Pressure Conditions
The ability to modify the structure of the wood-pulp fibre cell wall structure is an attractive means to obtain increased accessibility to the fibre interior and enable functionalization such as controlled drug delivery, interpenetrated networks, and selective removal of metal ions from aqueous mixtures just to mention a few examples. By changing the physical state […]
