Development of the Metrology and Imaging of Cellulose Nanocrystals

Published

September 19, 2011

Author(s)

Michael T. Postek, Andras Vladar, John A. Dagata, Natalia Farkas, Bin Ming, Ryan Wagner, Arvind Raman, Robert J. Moon, Ronald Sabo, Theodore H. Wegner, James Beecher

Abstract

The development of metrology for nanoparticles is a significant challenge. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) are one group of nanoparticles that have high potential economic value but present substantial challenges to the development of the measurement science. Even the largest trees owe their strength to this newly-appreciated class of nanomaterial. Cellulose is the world’s most abundant natural, renewable, biodegradable polymer. Cellulose occurs as whisker-like microfibrils that are biosynthesized and deposited in plant material in a continuous fashion. The nanocrystals are isolated by hydrolyzing away the amorphous segments leaving the acid resistant crystalline fragments. Therefore, the basic raw material for new nanomaterial products already abounds in nature and available to be utilized in an array of future materials. However, commercialization requires the development of efficient manufacturing processes and nanometrology to monitor quality. This paper discusses some of the instrumentation, metrology and standards issues associated with the ramping up for production and use of cellulose nanocrystals.

Citation

Measurement Science and Technology

Volume

22

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

Cellulose, nanofibers, nanocrystal, microscopy, standards, metrology, measurement

Citation

Postek, M. , Vladar, A. , Dagata, J. , Farkas, N. , Ming, B. , Wagner, R. , Raman, A. , Moon, R. , Sabo, R. , Wegner, T. and Beecher, J. (2011), Development of the Metrology and Imaging of Cellulose Nanocrystals, Measurement Science and Technology, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=905543 (Accessed October 10, 2024)