Strong ultralight foams based on nanocrystalline cellulose for high-performance insulation

Peipei Wang; Nahal Aliheidari; Xiao Zhang; Amir Ameli

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.04.059

Strong ultralight foams based on nanocrystalline cellulose for high-performance insulation

Carbohydr Polym. 2019 Aug 15:218:103-111. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.04.059. Epub 2019 Apr 25.

Authors

Peipei Wang¹, Nahal Aliheidari², Xiao Zhang³, Amir Ameli⁴

Affiliations

¹ Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory, Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Richland, WA, 99354, United States.
² Advanced Composites Laboratory, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, 2710 Crimson Way, Richland, WA, 99354, United States.
³ Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory, Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Richland, WA, 99354, United States; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99354, United States. Electronic address: x.zhang@wsu.edu.
⁴ Advanced Composites Laboratory, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, 2710 Crimson Way, Richland, WA, 99354, United States. Electronic address: a.ameli@wsu.edu.

PMID: 31221311
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.04.059

Abstract

Environmentally friendly, sustainable, and high-performance thermal insulators are in high demand. Petroleum-based insulator foams usually have high thermal conductivity and pose health hazards. Here, we report ultralight composite foams that are highly strong, elastic, and super-insulating. The foams are composed of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) (74 wt%), polyvinyl alcohol (7.5 wt%), and a crosslinking agent (18.5 wt%). The fabrication process is simple and uses only water. The composite foams exhibit an elastic strain of ˜13% at a modulus of 250 K Pa and a stress of 73 K Pa at 50% strain (100+ and 18 times, respectively, higher than those of pure NCC foam); both exceed the values of reported nanocellulose-based foams with no reinforcement. The foams exhibit a thermal conductivity of 0.027 Wm^-1 K^-1, which is superior to those of traditional insulating materials. The structural integrity is also preserved after burning. Our results show that NCC-based materials can be engineered towards high-performance insulation applications.

Keywords: Foam; Mechanical properties; Nanocrystalline cellulose; Polyvinyl alcohol; Thermal insulation; Ultralight.