Nanopaper

A team at the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology has produced the "nanopa­per" from a biological material found in conventional paper -- cellulose. This long sugar molecule is a principal com­ponent of plant cell walls and is the most common organic compound on Earth.

According to Lars Berglund,"the new paper could be used to reinforce con­ventional paper, produce extra-strong sticky tape or help create tough synthet­ic replacements for biological tissues."

The new method involves breaking down wood pulp with enzymes and then fragmenting it using a mechanical beater. The shear forces produced cause the cellulose to disintegrate into its component fibres. The end result is undamaged cellulose fibres suspended in water. When the wa­ter is drained away, they found that the fibres join together into networks held by hydrogen bonds, forming flat sheets of "nanopaper."

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