Andreas Fall.
Andreas Fall.

Through experiments Andreas Fall has shown which factors that control the surface potential of nanoscale cellulose. He has also shown that the cellulose nanofibrils can be oriented so that strong continuous fibres can be produced. Andreas Fall has also managed to produce fibril reinforced composites of polymethylmethacrylate by checking the gel formation of nanoscale cellulose.

This work has deepened our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that will contribute to the development of entirely new material types such as foams, composites and reconstituted cellulose fibres based on nanocellulose.

“My vision is to be able to orient and modify fibrils so that they may be used in, for example, oriented water-absorbing foams, batteries, super strong composites or ultra-capacitors”, says Andreas Fall at the Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University.

His new task is to develop lightweight and mechanically robust porous materials based on cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) with improved fire retardency. A potential application is thermal isolation, for example in house walls and electronic components. A suitable research environment for Andreas’ continued work is with Professor Christopher Weder at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, which this scholarship makes possible.

The Alf de Ruvo Memorial Foundation awards scholarships to researchers within the sphere of cellulose-fibre-based materials. The foundation was formed in 2000 with funds donated in memory of Alf de Ruvo (1938–2000), Licentiate of Engineering and Executive Vice President of SCA. Its purpose is to support forestry industry education and research activities that benefit technical and scientific progress within the industry.