Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

The project aims to develop the knowledge to manufacture ultra-light, mechanically very resistant and impervious packaging. The target market is the aerial delivery of consumer goods by drones. The current standard packaging, because of their weight, their lack of rigidity and water resistance, are not adapted to this growing market. The latest advances in nanocellulose research and/or cellulose filaments have demonstrated that it is possible to create foams based on these new fibers. Because of the aerated structure of these foams, the structure obtained when dried is light and rigid. The originality of the project is to create a packaging structure from these foams; which does not exist now. These are very innovative products with several challenges. The project has three technical and scientific challenges, the solution of which is the main objective of the proposed work.In a first step, we aim to preserve the maximum properties of wet foams in the dry state. We propose two approaches, one purely mechanical during the formation of the foam and its drying on paper machine and the other by chemical modification of the structural elements of the foam (cellulose filaments).In a second step, we aim to make the surface hydrophobic. We propose to use surface fatty acid grafting by means of a mild modification of an existing technology (Chromatogeny). This modification is made possible by the fact that the cellulose filaments have more active sites (OH) than a normal fiber of pulp.In a third step, we will create multilayer structures consisting of a cellulose filament foam core and a surface layer treated by chromatography. The project involves the training of 3 doctoral students, 2 master's students and two post-doctoral students. The knowledge developed during the project will allow the development of a new range of packaging products adapted to the new drone delivery market conditions.