Potential of wood-based nanofiber materials, 2010 TAPPI International Conference on Nanotechnology for the Forest Product Industr

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The plant cell wall consists of a 10nm wide by 10nm thick nanofiber called a cellulose nanofiber or a cellulose microfibril bundle (Fig. 1). Since nanofibers are bundles of semi-crystalline extended cellulose chains, their thermal expansion is as low as that of quartz whilst their strength is five times that of steel. However, the industrial utilization of nanofibers is presently quite limited despite their being the most abundant biomass resource on earth. We are developing high strength and low thermal expansion transparent nanocomposites based on nanofibers for use in automobiles, buildings, portable computers, medical equipment and many other products.