Wood and plant materials are a complex nanodimensional composite consisting primarily of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Cellulose is the most abundant renewable material on the planet, and is a unique unbranched long chain molecule consisting of b-linked 1,4 glucan residues. It is the main structural element in wood and processed wood products, and exhibits a modulus of ~250MPa, roughly 20-25% of the Young’s modulus of a single walled carbon nanotube. Emerging nanoscale science and engineering offer new possibilities for creating nanoengineered cellulosic materials with unique properties. Moreover, cellulose and hemicellulose are feedstocks for biofuel production. New nanoengineered cellulose degrading processes could allow for much more efficient biofuel production.

 

Wood is the basic raw material for countless products ranging from solid wood and wood composites to paper, packaging and recycled fiber in addition to many related coating, sealing, binder and adhesive products. The efficient conversion of wood into competitive products is critical to the U.S. economy. The U.S. forest products industry is a ~$250 billion/year materials industry and accounts for ~7% of the U.S. manufacturing base. Over the past few years, extensive national level analyses of this industry have identified the immediate need for new technologies which enable the development of new products and manufacturing processes establishing a foundation for sustained growth in this century. Through these efforts, the development and incorporation of nanotechnologies in both research, development and workforce education has been identified as a critical, but lacking, component.

 

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