Nanoscale Engineering of Bio-based Composites

Numerous studies suggest that nanoscale characteristics govern the processing and end-use performance of biopolymers and bio-based composites. Unfortunately, the structural complexity of biomaterials often complicates the use of common analytical methods for identifying nanoscale properties. In this perspective our research aims at:

Developing molecular tools for the nanoscale characterization
of biomaterials.
Engineering the nanoscale behavior of biomaterials towards
targeted performance.
Genomics/Proteomics/Informatics
Diabetes
Environmental Degradation and Sustainability
Nanomaterials and their applications to electronic/photonic
and/or bionic materials

Modeling molecular relaxation is one valuable approach for assessing intermolecular interactions and nanoscale morphology in synthetic polymer blends. Such an approach has great potential for biopolymers and bio-based composites. Recently, our group demonstrated the validity of a coupling model of relaxation for lignocellulosic polymers. With the coupling model of relaxation, insight on the nanophase behavior of various bio-based composites was obtained. Modeling research on relaxation mechanisms in biopolymers and bio-based composites is thus actively pursued at the Wood Materials and Engineering Laboratory. Method development for the nanoscale characterization of biomaterials also focuses on Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (CP/MAS NMR) techniques. The interest of CP/MAS NMR is that specific labeling of polymers can be achieved affording a local probe of relaxation mechanisms in bio-based composites.