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Nanopaper, developed by scientists in Stockholm, has a strength of 214 MPa due to trillions of interconnected cellulose nanofibers. It could replace plastic bags, reinforce plastics, and be used as a building material. The raw material, cellulose, is abundant and cheaper than other nanomaterials. Other materials referred to as nanopaper include a titanium oxide matrix and a nanowire sponge for oil spills.
Nanopaper is a state-of-the-art paper variety with a strength of 214 megapascals (MPa), higher than cast iron’s 130 MPa and close to that of structural steel (250 MPa). Typical paper has a strength of 1 MPa.
Nanopaper, developed by scientists at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden and announced via press releases in early June 2008, draws its strength from trillions of tiny interconnected cellulose nanofibers. The cellulose fibers in nanopaper were made by making a cellulose sludge, similar to the way regular paper is made, but then further breaking it down using enzymes, mechanical grinding, and chemical treatment with carboxymethanol. The result is fibers 1000 times smaller than the fibers in typical paper.
These fibers bond together into a defect-free matrix, unlike the fibers in traditional paper, which are so large you can see them with a magnifying glass. This nanopaper broke the previous record of 103 MPa for a high-strength paper. The first strength tests used strips 40mm long by 5mm wide and about 50 microns thick.
The researchers who developed the nanopaper touted its many benefits in the publicity surrounding its ad. They envision nanopaper being used to replace all grocery bags, providing an environmentally friendly alternative to oil-guzzling plastic bags. Nanopaper could be used as a reinforcing agent in plastics in place of expensive carbon fibers. The nanopaper is riddled with enlarged pores, allowing for faster drying, which would drive down the price of any end product using it.
The raw material of nanopaper, cellulose, is the most abundant organic polymer on the planet. This means that nanopaper products could be substantially cheaper and more useful than products based on more exotic and expensive-to-produce nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes. Nanopaper could even find use as an all-purpose building material, provided the costs of mass manufacturing are as low as the inventors claim.
Two other materials are less frequently referred to as nanopaper. These include a matrix of titanium oxide nanofibers created by chemists at the University of Arkansas, which could be used as a fireproof cover or pathogen filter, and a matrix of nanowires of potassium and manganese oxide created by MIT researchers as a sponge. to vacuum up oil spills.
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