IMX Colloquium - Surface Engineering of Nanocellulose for Sustainable Bioproduct Development

By learning from nature and using bio-based building blocks we can engineer sustainable high-performance materials with improved functionality. Nanocelluloses have entered the marketplace as new ingredients for formulated chemical products, composites and engineering processing technologies. Although cellulose is the most abundant natural substance on earth, nanocelluloses are anything but common – they possess exceptionally high mechanical strength and align in electromagnetic fields; they are more chemically, colloidally and thermally stable than most bio-based materials; they exhibit unique optical and self-assembly properties, all while retaining the non-toxicity and biodegradability of cellulose. However, the surface chemistry of nanocellulose must be well understood and controlled in order to optimize the interactions, stability and compatibility with liquids, polymers and small molecules. My research group aims to bridge the gap between industrial nanocellulose producers, R&D, and potential end users by exploring fundamentals. In this talk, I will highlight my group’s contributions in the areas of: benchmarking commercial cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs); nanocellulose-stabilized emulsions and latexes for applications in cosmetics, food, paints, coatings and adhesives; CNC-templated energy storage and production devices; and advanced characterization methods for nanomaterials. Overall, we believe that this improved understanding of CNCs and how to control their assembly is crucial for the commercialization of greener next-generation technologies.

Bio: Emily D. Cranston is a Professor in Wood Science and Chemical & Biological Engineering at the University of British Columbia (Canada) and is the President’s Excellence Chair in Forest Bio-Products. Emily’s research focuses on sustainable hybrid materials from cellulose and other biopolymers. Her academic path began at McGill University where she received her BSc in Chemistry and a PhD in Materials Chemistry. The study of value-added products from trees took her to Sweden as a postdoctoral researcher at KTH Royal Institute of Technology before she returned to Canada in 2011. Emily was the recipient of the 2017 KINGFA Young Investigator’s Award from the American Chemical Society’s Cellulose & Renewable Materials division, was the 2018 American Chemical Society – Kavli Foundation Emerging Leader in Chemistry Lecturer and was a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellow. Emily has received the Technical Association of the Pulp & Paper Industry (TAPPI) Nanotechnology Division Technical Award and Leadership & Service Award in 2021 and 2023, respectively. In 2023, she was elected to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists and was awarded the Royal Society of Canada’s Rutherford Medal in Chemistry.