CNC in Coatings

One of the speculative features of cellulose nanocrystals is that different facets of the crystal have different surface energies. Bruel, Queffeulou, Carreau, Tavares and Heuzey of Ecole Polytechnique have now provided convincing evidence of this feature and shown how it can be used to explain the variability of the surface tension of CNC coatings and how different fabrication techniques can produce coatings with different wettabilities as indicated by contact angle (?). These observations are valuable in that they indicate the proper crystal orientations can allow good coating adherence to both polar and non-polar substrates, as CelluForce has recently demonstrated in industrial applications of CNC barrier coatings used in the manufacturing of packaging films where CNC improves oxygen, moisture, grease and gas barriers as well as printability.

Experiment the CNC in your application, and order a CelluForce NCC® now!

For more information, please consult the full article (Orienting Cellulose Nanocrystal Functionalities Tunes the Wettability of Water-Cast Films).