New simulation approach to mechanical properties of nanocellulose aerogels

High mechanical strength and stiffness and large surface area are properties often referred to when nanocelluloses are described. These properties in combination with biodegradability make nanocelluloses tempting raw materials for new bio-based materials. Here we demonstrate the potential of such materials. In particular, we prepared 3-dimensional structures based on pure nanocellulose, characterized their structure and compared their mechanical properties with those obtained by micromechanical simulations.