“Cellulose is a multidimensional material. It is also adaptable and very responsive, particularly in terms of water. If the water doesn’t travel, the plant dies. Using this idea in material sciences is a great opportunity.”
tial future electronic applications. This could be exploited in phones, for instance. In addition, crystalline cellulose has piezoelectric properties. That is really interesting.” Currently, Tammelin and the FinnCERES team are studying hemicellulose. Hemicelluloses are short-chained and branched heteropolysaccharides found in the cell wall of a plant. The team has successfully formed nanocrystals with the properties of a liquid crystal. It’s an exciting dis- covery, given that hemicellulose molecules do not tend to organise in this manner. “It doesn’t usually do any harm if the structure organ- ises on its own. Materials of this kind can often have special electrical properties. You can place active mole- cules on the surface of the nanocrystals, in which case they could be used in diagnostics and sensors, among other things.” The joint competence centre is set to produce many other results as well, and we may not have to wait long for their transition into practice. “We’re shaping a joint vision with our industrial mem- bers on what the future of Finnish cellulose research should be like. We can communicate directly. You no longer have to grind away for years in the lab, after which someone almost accidentally happens to talk about it in the right place.” This is a new way of working: the results of basic research are communicated directly to the industrial sector. INSTANTLY CARRIED AWAY Tammelin initially studied process chemistry at the Espoo-Vantaa Institute of Technology and began work- ing as a research assistant in the team led by Professor Per Stenius at Helsinki University of Technology. “I got into the surface and colloid chemistry team in forest product technologies. I was instantly carried away, because the team was led by Professor Stenius. He’s a bril- liant surface chemist.”
The “algae thing” Tammelin is referring to is the ability of algae cells embedded in nanocellulose to use the sun’s carbon dioxide as a direct driving force for the production of chemicals. Nanocellulose therefore offers a multitude of possibilities for combatting climate change. CELLULOSE IS THE NEW PLASTIC Realistically, though, how fast can we expect to see some changes? Tammelin is hopeful. She says that new materials which replace plastic and synthetic textiles will become widespread in the near future. This is already being demanded by many citizens alarmed by microplastics. The EU has accepted a law which will, among other things, ban plastic cotton buds, disposable tableware and straws as of 2021. To an increasing degree, people will be required to change their consumption habits. “Textiles made from wood are no longer just idle talk in the corner of a lab. The dialogue with the industrial sector is already underway. Paper will not disappear, but we can’t go forward with mere paper and traditional pulp.” Tammelin is happy that there are discussions in Finland about investment in new more environmentally-friendly bioproduct units. Besides, wood is not the only material from which you can make pulp. It could also be made from biomass side streams and annual crops such as grains. “Cellulose is the new plastic. Its potential as both a replacement for old materials and an enabler of new applications is recognised.” COMMUNICATING WITH THE INDUSTRY The next step is to use cellulose molecules and structures in optoelectronics, lenses and light refraction. They could be used in, say, verifying the authenticity of banknotes and medicine packaging. “Cellulose, and especially its nanostructures, can be adapted to be conductive, which gives us access to poten-
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