Alain Dufresne

Bio: Alain Dufresne is an academic researcher from University of Grenoble. The author has contributed to research in topics: Cellulose & Nanocomposite. The author has an hindex of 111, co-authored 358 publications receiving 45904 citations. Previous affiliations of Alain Dufresne include Centre national de la recherche scientifique & École Polytechnique de Montréal.

Review: current international research into cellulose nanofibres and nanocomposites

Abstract: This paper provides an overview of recent progress made in the area of cellulose nanofibre-based nanocomposites. An introduction into the methods used to isolate cellulose nanofibres (nanowhiskers, nanofibrils) is given, with details of their structure. Following this, the article is split into sections dealing with processing and characterisation of cellulose nanocomposites and new developments in the area, with particular emphasis on applications. The types of cellulose nanofibres covered are those extracted from plants by acid hydrolysis (nanowhiskers), mechanical treatment and those that occur naturally (tunicate nanowhiskers) or under culturing conditions (bacterial cellulose nanofibrils). Research highlighted in the article are the use of cellulose nanowhiskers for shape memory nanocomposites, analysis of the interfacial properties of cellulose nanowhisker and nanofibril-based composites using Raman spectroscopy, switchable interfaces that mimic sea cucumbers, polymerisation from the surface of cellulose nanowhiskers by atom transfer radical polymerisation and ring opening polymerisation, and methods to analyse the dispersion of nanowhiskers. The applications and new advances covered in this review are the use of cellulose nanofibres to reinforce adhesives, to make optically transparent paper for electronic displays, to create DNA-hybrid materials, to generate hierarchical composites and for use in foams, aerogels and starch nanocomposites and the use of all-cellulose nanocomposites for enhanced coupling between matrix and fibre. A comprehensive coverage of the literature is given and some suggestions on where the field is likely to advance in the future are discussed.

Review on nanoparticles and nanostructured materials: history, sources, toxicity and regulations.

Abstract: Nanomaterials (NMs) have gained prominence in technological advancements due to their tunable physical, chemical and biological properties with enhanced performance over their bulk counterparts. NMs are categorized depending on their size, composition, shape, and origin. The ability to predict the unique properties of NMs increases the value of each classification. Due to increased growth of production of NMs and their industrial applications, issues relating to toxicity are inevitable. The aim of this review is to compare synthetic (engineered) and naturally occurring nanoparticles (NPs) and nanostructured materials (NSMs) to identify their nanoscale properties and to define the specific knowledge gaps related to the risk assessment of NPs and NSMs in the environment. The review presents an overview of the history and classifications of NMs and gives an overview of the various sources of NPs and NSMs, from natural to synthetic, and their toxic effects towards mammalian cells and tissue. Additionally, the types of toxic reactions associated with NPs and NSMs and the regulations implemented by different countries to reduce the associated risks are also discussed.

I and i

Abstract: There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality. Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

Cellulose nanomaterials review: structure, properties and nanocomposites

Abstract: This critical review provides a processing-structure-property perspective on recent advances in cellulose nanoparticles and composites produced from them. It summarizes cellulose nanoparticles in terms of particle morphology, crystal structure, and properties. Also described are the self-assembly and rheological properties of cellulose nanoparticle suspensions. The methodology of composite processing and resulting properties are fully covered, with an emphasis on neat and high fraction cellulose composites. Additionally, advances in predictive modeling from molecular dynamic simulations of crystalline cellulose to the continuum modeling of composites made with such particles are reviewed (392 references).

Cellulose nanocrystals: chemistry, self-assembly, and applications.

Abstract: Cellulose constitutes the most abundant renewable polymer resource available today. As a chemical raw material, it is generally well-known that it has been used in the form of fibers or derivatives for nearly 150 years for a wide spectrum of products and materials in daily life. What has not been known until relatively recently is that when cellulose fibers are subjected to acid hydrolysis, the fibers yield defect-free, rod-like crystalline residues. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNs) have garnered in the materials community a tremendous level of attention that does not appear to be relenting. These biopolymeric assemblies warrant such attention not only because of their unsurpassed quintessential physical and chemical properties (as will become evident in the review) but also because of their inherent renewability and sustainability in addition to their abundance. They have been the subject of a wide array of research efforts as reinforcing agents in nanocomposites due to their low cost, availability, renewability, light weight, nanoscale dimension, and unique morphology. Indeed, CNs are the fundamental constitutive polymeric motifs of macroscopic cellulosic-based fibers whose sheer volume dwarfs any known natural or synthetic biomaterial. Biopolymers such as cellulose and lignin and † North Carolina State University. ‡ Helsinki University of Technology. Dr. Youssef Habibi is a research assistant professor at the Department of Forest Biomaterials at North Carolina State University. He received his Ph.D. in 2004 in organic chemistry from Joseph Fourier University (Grenoble, France) jointly with CERMAV (Centre de Recherche sur les Macromolecules Vegetales) and Cadi Ayyad University (Marrakesh, Morocco). During his Ph.D., he worked on the structural characterization of cell wall polysaccharides and also performed surface chemical modification, mainly TEMPO-mediated oxidation, of crystalline polysaccharides, as well as their nanocrystals. Prior to joining NCSU, he worked as assistant professor at the French Engineering School of Paper, Printing and Biomaterials (PAGORA, Grenoble Institute of Technology, France) on the development of biodegradable nanocomposites based on nanocrystalline polysaccharides. He also spent two years as postdoctoral fellow at the French Institute for Agricultural Research, INRA, where he developed new nanostructured thin films based on cellulose nanowiskers. Dr. Habibi’s research interests include the sustainable production of materials from biomass, development of high performance nanocomposites from lignocellulosic materials, biomass conversion technologies, and the application of novel analytical tools in biomass research. Chem. Rev. 2010, 110, 3479–3500 3479