Articles of manufacture comprising nanocellulose elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Nanocellulose materials face challenges in commercial-scale drying and redispersion due to aggregation and hornification, limiting their use in various applications, as existing techniques are costly, energy-intensive, and require specialized equipment.
Innovation Solution
The use of liquid formulations containing nanocellulose elements and drying/dispersal additives such as temperature-responsive polymers, small molecule additives, and blocking agents to prevent aggregation during drying, allowing for redispersion in aqueous media.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional drying techniques are used for nanocellulose materials, then the materials can be dried and stored, but aggregation and hornification occur that prevent redispersion
Solution Approach 1:
A drying aid composition is introduced as an intermediary substance during the drying process. This composition contains agents that prevent aggregation and hornification of nanocellulose particles during drying, enabling the dried material to be redispersed later. The drying aid acts as a mediator between the nanocellulose and the drying environment, protecting the nanocellulose from harmful interactions during drying while allowing redispersion after drying.
2Reliability
If existing drying techniques are used, then nanocellulose can be dried, but the process is costly and requires specialized equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a chemical drying aid composition that can be applied in conventional drying processes instead of requiring expensive specialized equipment. The drying aid composition is a relatively simple, inexpensive additive that enables redispersion capability through chemical means rather than complex mechanical or thermal processing equipment.
3Reliability
If existing drying techniques are used, then nanocellulose can be dried, but the process is energy-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The drying aid composition changes the chemical parameters of the drying system by introducing substances that modify the interaction between nanocellulose particles and the drying environment. This chemical parameter change allows for lower drying temperatures and reduced energy consumption while maintaining redispersibility, as the drying aid prevents aggregation at lower energies rather than requiring high-energy processes to achieve the same effect.
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
The solution enables the production of redispersible, dried nanocellulose materials with improved dispersibility, reducing energy costs and eliminating the need for specialized equipment, thus expanding their applications in composite products.
Implementation Method 1
temperature-responsive polymers, small molecule additives, and blocking agents to prevent aggregation during drying
Implementation Method 2
allowing for redispersion in aqueous media
Implementation Method 3
The alternating orientation of the hydroxyl groups along the length of the cellulose molecule allows one strand of cellulose to form hydrogen bonds readily with adjacent strands of the polymer
Implementation Method 4
The use of liquid formulations containing nanocellulose elements and drying/dispersal additives such as temperature-responsive polymers, small molecule additives, and blocking agents to prevent aggregation 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.