New, Tough Paper Won't Burn
New, Tough Paper Won't Burn
Tracy Staedter, Discovery News
Sept. 25, 2006 - When describing paper, the following probably never comes up: flame-retardant, bacteria-resistant, rewritable and pathogen-decomposing.
But those words describe the kind of unusually tough paper that researchers at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville have developed.
The product could be used in a wide range of applications, say the researchers, from reusable bacteria filters to flame-retardant wallpaper that automatically decomposes airborne toxins to rewritable, erasable, heat-resistant billboards along highways.
The key to the paper's resilience is its core ingredient. While most paper is made from cellulose fibers, the new material is made from nanowires of titanium dioxide, a chemical compound common in white pigment.
"The starting materials are simple, non-toxic and inexpensive," said Z. Ryan Tian, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the university. "The assembly is a room-temperature casting process, as simple as drying paper pulp."
To make the nanowires, the researchers first mix powdered titanium dioxide with an alkali solution and place it in a Teflon-coated container. Then they heat the mixture in an oven at temperatures between 150 to 250 degrees Celsius for one to several days.
As the alkaline evaporates, it leaves behind long, white fibers.
The nanowires are washed in distilled water and, when still the consistency of wet pulp, cast into three-dimensional shapes such as tubes, bowls, and cups using this process.
After the paper dries, it can be bent, folded or trimmed with scissors.
The finished product can withstand temperatures of 700 degrees C, which make it flame-retardant. It also makes it possible to sanitize the paper with a torch flame or ultraviolet light.
The paper's properties also make it ideal for a reusable filter membrane in gas masks. The pore size of the paper can be adjusted during the casting process so that the holes are big enough to let oxygen in but small enough to block toxins.
"This [research] shows a novel way of fabricating membranes made of titanium dioxide nanowires," said professor Zhong Lin Wang, director for the Center for Nanostructure Characterization at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.
In addition, when photons of light hit the nano-scale fibers, a charge is created that works to zap and destroy any toxins on the surface.
The team has applied for a patent on the process and is looking for industrial partners to license and commercialize various applications of the nanopaper technology.
Tracy Staedter, Discovery News
Sept. 25, 2006 - When describing paper, the following probably never comes up: flame-retardant, bacteria-resistant, rewritable and pathogen-decomposing.
But those words describe the kind of unusually tough paper that researchers at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville have developed.
The product could be used in a wide range of applications, say the researchers, from reusable bacteria filters to flame-retardant wallpaper that automatically decomposes airborne toxins to rewritable, erasable, heat-resistant billboards along highways.
The key to the paper's resilience is its core ingredient. While most paper is made from cellulose fibers, the new material is made from nanowires of titanium dioxide, a chemical compound common in white pigment.
"The starting materials are simple, non-toxic and inexpensive," said Z. Ryan Tian, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the university. "The assembly is a room-temperature casting process, as simple as drying paper pulp."
To make the nanowires, the researchers first mix powdered titanium dioxide with an alkali solution and place it in a Teflon-coated container. Then they heat the mixture in an oven at temperatures between 150 to 250 degrees Celsius for one to several days.
As the alkaline evaporates, it leaves behind long, white fibers.
The nanowires are washed in distilled water and, when still the consistency of wet pulp, cast into three-dimensional shapes such as tubes, bowls, and cups using this process.
After the paper dries, it can be bent, folded or trimmed with scissors.
The finished product can withstand temperatures of 700 degrees C, which make it flame-retardant. It also makes it possible to sanitize the paper with a torch flame or ultraviolet light.
The paper's properties also make it ideal for a reusable filter membrane in gas masks. The pore size of the paper can be adjusted during the casting process so that the holes are big enough to let oxygen in but small enough to block toxins.
"This [research] shows a novel way of fabricating membranes made of titanium dioxide nanowires," said professor Zhong Lin Wang, director for the Center for Nanostructure Characterization at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.
In addition, when photons of light hit the nano-scale fibers, a charge is created that works to zap and destroy any toxins on the surface.
The team has applied for a patent on the process and is looking for industrial partners to license and commercialize various applications of the nanopaper technology.