Fpinnovations

Chuanwei Miao

Wadood Yasser Hamad

Shunxing Su

Michelle Agnes Ricard

Norman Roberts

Otman Oulanti

The present disclosure is directed to a Pickering emulsion comprising cellulose filaments. The heterogeneity of the cellulose filament material is critical and beneficial to the formation of stable emulsions. Emulsions with high stability can be prepared by controlling the CF surface properties. It is provided an emulsion comprising an internal phase dispersed in a continuous external phase and cellulose filaments located at the interface of the internal phase and the external phase, wherein the emulsion comprises 50% in volume or more of the internal phase and a method of producing same.

Cellulose filament-stabilized Pickering emulsions

A composite and method for producing the composite by incorporating wood or wood pulp fibres with a suitable thermoplastic polymer and coupling agent are described. Homogeneous, void-free transparent/translucent thermoplastic materials in the form of pellets, films or three-dimensional moldable products are produced. The wood pulp fibres can be discrete natural fibres, and flexible assemblies of nano to micro elements, e.g., assemblies of aggregated carbon nanotubes. It is also possible to use our vacuum-assisted co-extrusion process to produce hybrid composites comprising the wood pulp fibre and a further rigid fibre, like glass or carbon fibres, and a flexible fibre or fibrillar network, like cellulose fibres or cellulose filaments. The thermoplastic resin can be, but not limited to, polyolefins, like polypropylene or polyethylene, or polyesters, like polylactic acid, or co-polymers, like acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene terpolymer.

Vacuum-assisted co-extrusion of flexible fibres and the moldable thermoplastic composites produced

A new approach is conceived for the development of sustainable biomaterials comprising nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) and polylactic acid (PLA) nanocomposites. The invention deals with advancing a method based on in situ ring opening polymerization of L-lactide in the presence of NCC particles to form NCC-PLA supramolecular nanocomposite materials. This material is hydrophobic and compatible with a wide range of synthetic and natural polymers. NCC-PLA nanocomposites have enhanced functionality (e.g. gas barrier), rheological and mechanical performance, as well as dimensional stability (i.e. less hygroexpansivity) relative to PLA. They are made from entirely renewable resources, and are potentially biocompatible as well as recyclable. NCC-PLA supramolecular nanocomposites can be suspended in most organic solvents or dried to form a solid substance. They can be processed using conventional polymer processing techniques to develop 3-dimensional structures, or spun into fibers, yarns or filaments.

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Richmond, CA, United States of America

Chuanwei Miao