Background

Today's society is increasingly demanding that the materials we use must come from renewable sources and have as little impact on the environment and climate as possible. Above all, harsh criticism is directed at plastics, which usually come from fossil raw materials and take a very long time to degrade in nature. A renewable material that has been shown to have many exciting properties and could compete with plastics in many areas is nanocellulose and more specifically nanocellulose films. These films could be used for future bio-based electronics, hygiene products and packaging to name a few areas. Unfortunately, there is no cheap and efficient manufacturing process for these films available yet. In the lab, it takes several days to produce the films because a lot of water must evaporate (up to 250 times more water than nanocellulose is often used).

This project

Therefore, in this project we want to focus on understanding when it is possible to squeeze out water and when you can suck out water from the wet nanocellulose films. If one can understand how the water can be removed by means other than evaporation, then the film making process could be made both much faster and much cheaper. Which, in turn, would be a large step towards bringing nanocellulose films into the market.

The thesis will include experimental work with filtration, pressing and characterisation of varying nanocellulose types. Suitable models will be adapted to evaluate the experimental data.

Student profile

We are looking for a student with physics, chemistry, or materials engineering background with laboratory work experience. You will be working alongside researchers from both RISE and KTH at the forefront of the research of biobased materials from the forest.

Location and date

The thesis projects will be performed at RISE’s Smart Materials unit situated close to KTH/Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. This project work can start upon agreement, however, latest in September 2023.

Welcome with your application!

If this sounds interesting, you can contact Marie Sjöberg +46 10 516 6083, or Karl Håkansson +46  10 228 45 48

RISE is the Swedish Research Institute and innovation partner. In international collaboration with industry, academia and the public sector, we ensure the competitiveness of the business community and contribute to a sustainable society. Our 2,800 employees support and promote all manner of innovative processes. RISE is an independent, state-owned research institute that offers unique expertise and about 100 testbeds and demonstration facilities, instrumental in future-proofing technologies, products and services. www.ri.se.

Tillträde Enligt överenskommelse
Löneform Fast lön
Ort Stockholm
Län Stockholms län
Land Sverige
Referensnummer 2023/280
Kontakt
  • Marie Sjöberg, +46105166083
Sista ansökningsdag 2023-06-30

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