New materials from cellulose fibers. A contribution to the
implementation of the integrated biorefinery concept
Authors’ references:
*CICECO and Department of Chemistry, Campus de Santiago, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
E-mails: [email protected] – [email protected] – [email protected] – [email protected]
Corresponding author: Carmen S. R. Freire – E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract
In recent years we have been studying the preparation of new
materials based on cellulose, using different strategies. One of
the strategies involves the heterogeneous chemical modification
of fibers, aiming at producing in the one hand new materials with
surface hydrophobic properties by the modification with fatty
acids that can be applied as reinforcing agents in composites with
polyolefin matrices and, on other hand, at producing derivatives
with superhydrophobic/omniphobic properties by the surface
modification with perfluorinated and/or silane reagents. A different
strategy involves the combination of cellulose fibers with other
polysaccharides possessing unique properties, like chitosan and
other emerging natural materials such as bacterial cellulose and
nanofibrillated cellulose, which also opened wide perspectives on
the preparations of papers with original features, as well as a wide
range of promising functional materials. A general overview of the
preparation, characterization and properties of these novel materials
will be presented in this communication.
Published: O PAPEL vol. 72, num. 9, pp. 91 – 96 SEP 2011
