title: An ultrastrong nanofibrillar biomaterial: the strength of single cellulose nanofibrils revealed via sonication-induced fragmentation.
abstract: We report the mechanical strength of native cellulose nanofibrils. Native cellulose nanofibrils, purified from wood and sea tunicate, were fully dispersed in water via a topochemical modification of cellulose nanofibrils using 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-1-oxyl (TEMPO) as a catalyst. The strength of individual nanofibrils was estimated based on a model for the sonication-induced fragmentation of filamentous nanostructures. The resulting strength parameters were then analyzed based on fracture statistics. The mean strength of the wood cellulose nanofibrils ranged from 1.6 to 3 GPa, depending on the method used to measure the nanofibril width. The highly crystalline, thick tunicate cellulose nanofibrils exhibited higher mean strength of 3-6 GPa. The strength values estimated for the cellulose nanofibrils in the present study are comparable with those of commercially available multiwalled carbon nanotubes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomaterials Sciences, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsuguyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Ryota
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuramae
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wohlert
authors.forename: Lars A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Berglund
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Isogai
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D002482:Cellulose / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D013010:Sonication / Q000379:methods*; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002482:Cellulose