In the ever-evolving world of science and technology, there are certain phenomena that continue to captivate the minds of scientists, artists, and the general public alike. One such phenomenon is the enigmatic world of super black materials. These materials, as the name suggests, possess the remarkable ability to absorb an astonishing amount of light, rendering them incredibly dark. Super black features have arisen in nature for various reasons including camouflage, thermoregulation and to assist social interactions among animals. These are the result of perfectioned combinations between light ..read more

Ngoc Huynh, Juan José Valle-Delgado, Wenwen Fang, Suvi Arola, Monika Österberg Carbohydrate Polymers, 2023, 317, 121095 Abstract: Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) are increasingly used as precursors for foams, films and composites, where water interactions are of great importance. In this study, we used willow bark extract (WBE), an underrated natural source of bioactive phenolic compounds, as a plant-based modifier for CNF hydrogels, without compromising their mechanical properties. We found that the introduction of WBE into both native, mechanically fibrillated CNFs and TEMPO-oxidized CNFs incre ..read more

There is an urgent need for sustainable alternatives to oil-based packaging materials with appropriate mechanical performance. Cellulose fiber materials provide high strength at relatively low density. However, physical limits lie much beyond conventional planar random fiber networks obtained with water forming. The material efficiency can be greatly improved by intelligent design of the multi-scale structure. In the COCEA project, a central aspect was to implement design thinking into developing structural and perceptual attributes by introducing strategic design already at early stages of th ..read more

Researchers have succeeded in developing new types of coatings from lignin in trees. The invention has many potential uses, for example in anti-fogging coatings, where it can replace highly toxic chemicals. Chemical engineers at Aalto University have developed a way to make lignin, one of the most abundant wood components, transparent. This ground-braking invention allows lignin to be used in optical applications, such as colour-altering films and antifogging coatings. The discovery is based on a newly developed method where thin lignin nanoparticle films remain transparent when deposited on g ..read more

Karita Kinnunen-Raudaskoski and Jani Lehmonen have both graduated as doctors of chemical engineering from Aalto University and for them, writing a doctoral thesis alongside regular work meant long hours but was also highly rewarding. Both Kinnunen-Raudaskoski and Lehmonen have worked for many years in product and material development in forest industry processes. Now they are making their doctoral competence available to Fiberwood, a FinnCERES Co-create member, that is a Finnish deep-tech company processing forest industry side streams into insulation and packaging materials. They both combine ..read more

Han Tao, Carlo Rigoni, Hailong Li, Antti Koistinen, Jaakko V. I. Timonen, Jiancheng Zhou, Eero Kontturi, Orlando J. Rojas & Guang Chu Nature Communications, 2023, 14, 5277 Abstract: Phase separation is a universal physical transition process whereby a homogeneous mixture splits into two distinct compartments that are driven by the component activity, elasticity, or compositions. In the current work, we develop a series of heterogeneous colloidal suspensions that exhibit both liquid-liquid phase separation of semiflexible binary polymers and liquid crystal phase separation of rigid, rod-lik ..read more

The Cellulose Society of Japan has awarded Paavo Penttilä the Hayashi Jisuke award for outstanding international achievements in the field of cellulose research. Penttilä is currently working as an Academy Research Fellow leading the “Biobased Materials Structure” research group at Aalto University, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems. The award was officially bestowed at a special ceremony held last week at the International Cellulose Conference ICC2022+1 in Hiroshima, Japan. The award was officially bestowed at a special ceremony held in September at the International Cellulose Confere ..read more

Doctoral researcher Aleksi Zitting tells about his experiences from working in the SASAMIS project, one of the two Novel Openings projects funded by FinnCERES 2019-2022. Wood in its many forms is all around us and has been for millennia. Yet many of the mysteries hidden within remain unclear. The robustness of the plant cell wall that provides structure both in forests and buildings also makes it difficult to peer into. Scattering methods provide us a way to "look inside" the cell wall without destructively disturbing the natural nano-architecture. However, scattering alone cannot tell the ful ..read more

The main aim of BioNets is to develop novel, bioactive double network (DN) hydrogel composites using cellulose nanomaterials together with bioactive small phenolics from wood bark through green polymerization approaches and non-covalent inter-network assembly strategies. 3D-printed scaffolds of the DN hydrogels will be tuned for different biomedical applications, including bone tissue engineering and wound healing. The DN hydrogels will also be transformed into lightweight foams with UV-shielding and antioxidant properties. These foams in wet and dry form will enable large-scale use of lignoce ..read more

Karl Alexander Henn, Sahar Babaeipour, Susanna Forssell, Paula Nousiainen, Kristoffer Meinander, Pekka Oinas, Monika Österberg ,Chemical Engineering Journal, 2023, 145965 Abstract: Lignin nanoparticles are useful in multiple applications, but their opaqueness remains an obstacle in optical applications. In this study, we present a method to prepare optically clear lignin nanoparticle dispersions from acetylated lignin. Thin lignin nanoparticle films remained transparent when deposited on glass and other smooth surfaces, and monolayered particle films provided effective antifogging properties ..read more