静電配向制御によるセルロース新素材創製プロセス

抄録

Cellulose micro fibrils extracted from woods have considerable potential to be applied to innovative composite materials due to their properties such as low density and high strength. In order to utilize these outstanding properties effectively, the fibril alignment must be controlled to be parallel. In this study, an innovative method for controlling cellulose micro fibril alignment by AC electric field has been proposed. Characteristics of fibril alignment under electric field have been analyzed through visualization and qualitative evaluation by optical measurement. Under AC electric field, fibrils align parallel to the direction of the electric field by torque acting on electric dipole of fibrils and then agglomerate in the vicinity of the electrodes through induced flow by dielectrophoresis. Furthermore, the degree of fibril alignment increases almost linearly with applied voltage. Higher degree of fibril alignment is shown for higher applied voltage at lower frequency.