Nanocellulose Formulations with Drying Additives for Redispersibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nanocellulose (NC) materials face challenges in commercial-scale drying and redispersion due to aggregation and hornification, which are exacerbated by hydrogen bonding and high surface area, limiting their use in composite products.
Innovation Solution
The use of temperature-responsive polymers, small molecule additives, and blocking agents in liquid formulations to inhibit hydrogen bonding during drying, allowing for the production of redispersible NC materials that can be easily reconstituted in aqueous or non-aqueous media.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If nanocellulose materials are dried to enable commercial-scale production and transport, then productivity and ease of manufacture are improved, but aggregation and hornification occur due to hydrogen bonding, worsening redispersibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces drying/dispersal additives as intermediary substances that mediate between the nanocellulose and the drying process. These additives adsorb onto the nanocellulose surface, forming a protective barrier that prevents direct hydrogen bonding between nanocellulose particles during drying, thereby maintaining redispersibility while enabling commercial-scale production
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the surface properties of nanocellulose by changing parameters such as surface charge, hydrophobicity, and steric hindrance through the addition of drying/dispersal additives. These parameter changes prevent aggregation during drying and enable the nanocellulose to be redispersed after drying, resolving the contradiction between productivity improvement and redispersibility maintenance
2Manufacturing precision
If nanocellulose is extracted with high purity and nano-size characteristics, then product quality is improved, but the high surface area increases hydrogen bonding, worsening aggregation during drying
Solution Approach 1:
Drying/dispersal additives serve as intermediary substances that adsorb onto the high-surface-area nanocellulose particles, creating a protective barrier that prevents direct particle-to-particle hydrogen bonding. This intermediary layer reduces the harmful aggregation effect while preserving the beneficial nano-size characteristics
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts or removes the harmful hydrogen bonding interactions between nanocellulose particles by introducing drying/dispersal additives that preferentially bind to the nanocellulose surface. This extraction of harmful interactions allows the nanocellulose to maintain its nano-size characteristics without aggregating during drying
3Reliability
If temperature-responsive polymers and blocking agents are used to prevent aggregation during drying, then redispersibility is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses temperature-responsive polymers that change their conformational parameters in response to temperature changes during drying. These polymers transition from a hydrated state to a dehydrated state, providing steric stabilization that prevents aggregation. This parameter-based approach simplifies the manufacturing process compared to more complex chemical modification methods
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates the production of redispersible NC materials that maintain their nano-size characteristics and can be uniformly distributed in composite products without clumping, enabling their use in a wide range of applications.
Implementation Method 1
aggregation and hornification, which are exacerbated by hydrogen bonding
Implementation Method 2
temperature-responsive polymers, small molecule additives, and blocking agents in liquid formulations to inhibit hydrogen bonding during drying
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides formulations comprising a suspension of nanocellulose (NC) elements and a drying/dispersal additive selected from the group consisting of temperature-responsive polymers, small molecule additives in volatile systems, and blocking agents and methods of preparing such formulations, and further provides NC-containing materials, composite materials and useful articles of manufacture made therefrom.