cellulose tagged posts

In research that could lead to a new age in illumination, researchers from Japan and Germany have developed an eco-friendly light-emitting electrochemical cells using new molecules called dendrimers combined with biomass derived electrolytes and graphene-based electrodes. Their findings were published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

Electroluminescence is the phenomenon where a material emits light in response to a passing electric current. Everything from the screen you’re using to read this sentence to the lasers used in cutting edge scientific research are results of the electroluminescence of different materials...

1.2m, 5.2kg turbine blade fabricated entirely with cellulose and chitosan, the most ubiquitous biopolymers on earth and produced in large amounts in almost every ecosystem. Both ingredients are obtained from by-products of the industry, resulting in production with negative ecological footprint.

Researchers have recently demonstrated the use of cellulose to sustainably manufacture/fabricate large 3D objects. Their approach diverges from the common association of cellulose with green plants and is inspired by the wall of the fungus-like oomycetes, which is reproduced introducing small amounts of chitin between cellulose fibers. The resulting fungal-like adhesive material(s) (FLAM) are strong, lightweight and inexpensive, and can be molded or processed using woodworking techniques.

Cellulose...

Active packaging extends food’s shelf life

KTU researchers are creating biodegradable food packaging materials, which, in addition, will also keep food fresh for longer. This innovation would solve 2 problems at once: assist in cutting down packaging waste and in reducing the number of food-borne illnesses. On average a European country citizen produces around 160 kilos of packaging waste; ~19% of which is plastic. “Food packaging is mainly made from various plastics, which are being produced from non-renewable sources and are non-biodegradable. Also, it is not always possible to recycle them as leftovers from food amount to almost 50% of the packaging waste,” says Paulius Pavelas Danilovas, KTU.

Headed by Danilovas, the team of researchers at the KTU Department of Polymer Chemistry and ...

This image from a scanning electron microscope shows a cross section of an object printed using cellulose. The inset shows the surface of the object. Credit: Courtesy of the researchers

Thanks to new research at MIT, cellulose may become an abundant material to print with – potentially providing a renewable, biodegradable alternative to the polymers currently used in 3D printing materials. “Cellulose is the most abundant organic polymer in the world,” says MIT postdoc Sebastian Pattinson. “Cellulose and its derivatives are used in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, as food additives, building materials, clothing – all sorts of different areas. And a lot of these kinds of products would benefit from the kind of customization that additive manufacturing [3-D printing] enables.”

Meanwhile, 3D ...