| 1. |
- Czibula, Caterina, et al.
(författare)
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Design of Friction, Morphology, Wetting, and Protein Affinity by Cellulose Blend Thin Film Composition
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Chemistry. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-2646. ; 7:MAY
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cellulose derivate phase separation in thin films was applied to generate patterned films with distinct surface morphology. Patterned polymer thin films are utilized in electronics, optics, and biotechnology but films based on bio-polymers are scarce. Film formation, roughness, wetting, and patterning are often investigated when it comes to characterization of the films. Frictional properties, on the other hand, have not been studied extensively. We extend the fundamental understanding of spin coated complex cellulose blend films via revealing their surface friction using Friction Force Microscopy (FFM). Two cellulose derivatives were transformed into two-phase blend films with one phase comprising trimethyl silyl cellulose (TMSC) regenerated to cellulose with hydroxyl groups exposed to the film surface. Adjusting the volume fraction of the spin coating solution resulted in variation of the surface fraction with the other, hydroxypropylcellulose stearate (FIPCE) phase. The film morphology confirmed lateral and vertical separation and was translated into effective surface fraction. Phase separation as well as regeneration contributed to the surface morphology resulting in roughness variation of the blend films from 1.1 to 19.8nm depending on the film composition. Friction analysis was successfully established, and then revealed that the friction coefficient of the films could be tuned and the blend films exhibited lowered friction force coefficient compared to the single-component films. Protein affinity of the films was investigated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and depended mainly on the surface free energy (SFE) while no direct correlation with roughness or friction was found. BSA adsorption on film formed with 1:1 spinning solution volume ratio was an outlier and exhibited unexpected minimum in adsorption.
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| 2. |
- Fall, Andreas, 1981-
(författare)
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Colloidal interactions and orientation of nanocellulose particles
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Nanoparticles are very interesting building blocks. Their large surface-to-bulk ratio gives them different properties from those of larger particles. Controlling their assembly can greatly affect macroscopic material properties. This often happens in nature, resulting in macroscopic materials with properties far better than those of similar human-made materials. However, in this fast-growing research field, we may soon compete with nature in certain areas. This thesis demonstrates that the distribution and orientation of nanocellulose particles can be controlled, which is crucial for many applications.Nanocellulose is an interesting nanoparticle, for example, because of its high strength, low thermal expansion, and high crystallinity. Nanocellulose particles are called nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) or cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). NFC is obtained from wood by mechanically shearing apart fibrils from the fiber wall and to obtain CNCs, parts of the cellulose are broken down by hydrolytic acidic reactions, most commonly, prior to homogenization. NFC particles are longer and less crystalline than are CNCs, but both are similar in width. The particles attract each other in aqueous dispersions and have a high aspect ratio and, thus, a large tendency to aggregate. The rate at which this occurs is typically reduced by charging the particles, generating an electrostatic repulsion between them.To fully utilize the many interesting properties of nanocellulose, the aggregation and orientation of the particles have to be controlled; examining this delicate task is the objective of this thesis. The limits for particle stability and aggregation are examined in papers 2–3 (as well as in this thesis) and orientation of the particles is investigated in papers 3–5. In addition, the liberation of the nanoparticles from different types of wood fibers is studied in papers 1 and 2.It was found that the liberation yield improved with increased fiber charge. In addition, the charge of the fibrils is higher than the charge of the original fibers, indicating that the fibrils were liberated from highly charged parts of the fibers and that the low-charge fraction was removed during processing.Aggregation was both theoretically predicted and experimentally studied. A theoretical model was formulated based on Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek theory, which is intended to predict the influence of salt, pH, and particle charge on the colloidal stability of the NFC. To predict the experimental trends, specific interactions between salt counterions and the particles charges had to be included in the model, which greatly increased the effect of salt on the NFC stability. Below the particle overlap concentration, instability induced by pH or salt created small sedimenting flocs, whereas above the overlap concentration the system gelled. Increasing the particle concentration further also gels the system.Orientation of nanocellulose was first achieved by shearing, salt- or acid-induced NFC gels. This oriented the fibrils and increased the gel modulus in the direction of shear. The orientation persisted after the shear strain was released and did not cause breakdown of the macroscopic gel. The orientation is probably due to rotation in the interfibril crosslinks, which is possible because the crosslinks are physical, not covalent. Second, orientation was also induced by elongational flow. Shear and acceleration forces were combined to align fibrils in the direction of the flow. The orientation was then frozen by gelation (adding salt or reducing the pH). Drying the gel threads created filaments of aligned fibrils with a higher specific strength than that of steel. Finally, CNC particles could be aligned on flat surfaces. The particles were first forced to align due to geometrical constraints in grooves on a nanowrinkled surface. The CNCs were then transferred to a flat surface using a contact-printing process. This created surfaces with lines of highly aligned CNCs, where the line–line spacing was controlled with nanometer precision.
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| 3. |
- Hollertz, Rebecca
(författare)
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Cellulose-based electrical insulation materials : Dielectric and mechanical properties
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The reliability of the generation and distribution of electricity is highly dependent on electrical insulation and is essential for the prosperity of our society and a ubiquitous part of our everyday life. The present study shows how some important material properties affect the electrical properties of cellulose-based electrical insulation systems which are used together with mineral oil in high-voltage transformers. Among other things, the effects of paper density and of the lignin content of the fibres on the dielectric response and charge transport of the papers have been studied.The underlying mechanisms of the inception and propagation of streamers, responsible for the most costly failures in transformers, at the oil-solid interface have been investigated and the important role of paper morphology on streamer propagation has been demonstrated. It was also shown that for polymers with permittivities close to that of the oil, the inception voltage was higher than with polymers with higher permittivities.Fibres were also modified prior to paper sheet preparation in attempts to improve the mechanical and dielectric properties. The properties of papers containing cellulosic micro- and nanofibrils and SiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles indicate that these additives can indeed be used to improve both the mechanical and dielectric properties. For example, a three-layered structure with two papers laminated together with a thin layer of microfibrillated cellulose also showed an increased DC breakdown strength by 47 % compared to a single-layer paper with a similar thickness.
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