2023 Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Location

ScholarSpace, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa

Presentation Type

Open Access Poster Presentation

Document Type

poster

Abstract

Nanocellulose is created by breaking down cellulose, the most common organic molecule found in nature. Nanocellulose has attractive properties, such as a very high strength-to-weight ratio, for many different applications. A major challenge is that nanocellulose has a very high shrinkage % (~90%) when it is dried, as well as a strong probability to crack. Different additives can be added in varying amounts to either mitigate or intensify these aspects, as well as affect its drying conditions. This investigation is helping the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Army to find a use for this highly renewable polymer resource via its abilities to improve mechanical stability and properties (Duzik et al., 2019). NASA is applying it as reinforcement fibers in structural composites, while the U.S. Army is using it for items such as bulletproof vests and fire-retardant materials. A particular additive, vegetable glycerin, has proven, with concise attention to these different factors, to semi-maintain the shape of a 30ml 15% NC sample with a small amount of the substance (≤ 10% of sample volume) and has a lower shrinkage % than a 15% NC control sample. However, the additive does not do well when it is combined with nanocellulose and layered on different materials, such as types of paper (e.g. cardboard, printer paper, folder paper) to make larger structures, along with higher concentrations of nanocellulose. This work will continue by determining whether glycerin additives can be used to reduce cracking in larger structures through a different method of incorporation.

Start Date

28-7-2023 11:00 AM

End Date

28-7-2023 1:30 PM

Event Host

Summer Undergraduate Research Program, University of Northern Iowa

Faculty Advisor

Timothy E. Kidd

Department

Department of Physics

Comments

High school participant in UNI's Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) supported by funding from the AEOP High School Apprentice Program.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

File Format

application/pdf

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Jul 28th, 11:00 AM Jul 28th, 1:30 PM

Impacts and Applications of Vegetable Glycerin on Nanocellulose

ScholarSpace, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa

Nanocellulose is created by breaking down cellulose, the most common organic molecule found in nature. Nanocellulose has attractive properties, such as a very high strength-to-weight ratio, for many different applications. A major challenge is that nanocellulose has a very high shrinkage % (~90%) when it is dried, as well as a strong probability to crack. Different additives can be added in varying amounts to either mitigate or intensify these aspects, as well as affect its drying conditions. This investigation is helping the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Army to find a use for this highly renewable polymer resource via its abilities to improve mechanical stability and properties (Duzik et al., 2019). NASA is applying it as reinforcement fibers in structural composites, while the U.S. Army is using it for items such as bulletproof vests and fire-retardant materials. A particular additive, vegetable glycerin, has proven, with concise attention to these different factors, to semi-maintain the shape of a 30ml 15% NC sample with a small amount of the substance (≤ 10% of sample volume) and has a lower shrinkage % than a 15% NC control sample. However, the additive does not do well when it is combined with nanocellulose and layered on different materials, such as types of paper (e.g. cardboard, printer paper, folder paper) to make larger structures, along with higher concentrations of nanocellulose. This work will continue by determining whether glycerin additives can be used to reduce cracking in larger structures through a different method of incorporation.