Tiny Tech #9: Green Nanomaterials

Today from the world of Tiny Tech:

… the topic is “green nanomaterials.” Like other nanomaterials, they’re made from nano-sized components, but they are especially friendly to the environment. One important example of a green nanomaterial is nanocellulose: it is closely related to the cellulose fibers used to make paper, except the fibers are much smaller. Nanocellulose is made directly from wood or sawdust, and is therefore a renewable material, which means that it comes from trees, grasses, or other kinds of plants, which regrow after being harvested. Nanocellulose is not only transparent and lightweight, it has amazing mechanical properties, which are similar to those of the bullet-proof plastic, Kevlar. But unlike Kevlar and most other materials made from fossil fuels, nanocellulose is biodegradable. For these reasons scientists are exploring the use of nanocellulose in applications from display screens to body armor. Nanocellulose is thus an attractive “green plastic”: it is strong and flexible enough to carry your groceries, but will not linger in landfills and other places when it is discarded.

So if you need an environmentally friendly but sturdy material for making things, I’d say nanocellulose … makes a really strong case.

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