Researchers from Nanjing Forestry University and the University of Maryland have designed unique microfibers that are a hybrid of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and one-dimensional nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) fibers.
The result is superbly aligned strong microfibers that can potentially be better than carbon fibers and are even relatively cheap. The hybrid material is much stronger than its components apart, and molecular dynamics simulations reveal a strong synergistic effect between the GO and the NFC. the 1D NFC fibers can act as a string of sorts, to hold together 2D sheets, while the GO sheets can bridge NFC fibers together for extra strong binding.
NFC is a 1D wood derivative that is abundant and low-cost, with a diameter in nanoscale and a length in microscale. It has an elastic modulus of ~140â GPa and it also possesses a high specific area and strong interacting surface hydroxyls, so it can act as an excellent reinforcement/binder.
In addition to the components' excellent mechanical properties, the alignment between them grants the composite superior mechanical properties by providing the maximum packing density with the minimum amount of defects for crack formation and propagation.
The researchers concluded that the resulting composite attains superior mechanical properties, in addition to being lightweight, low-cost and potentially well-suited for commercial use.