The Exilva Blog

Have you heard the saying “Oil and water don’t mix”? This is a proverb said of things with such different natures that they cannot be combined. It is however not totally true since oil and water can be mixed into an emulsion. In many different industries such as cosmetics, pharma, paints, coatings, household products and many more, professionals mix different oils and water to create the desired performance of a product. They overcome the hurdle of “mixing” oil and water by using emulsifiers, surfactants and stabilizers. So how can MFC contribute?

The field of nanocellulose, fibrils of cellulose and microfibrillated cellulose is moving rapidly in the direction of full commercialization. Still, there are many undescribed application areas that are appearing, with higher and lower levels of innovation. In this week’s review, I am covering two very interesting stories; the increased interest from Japanese motor industry in utilizing the nanocellulose as components for their vehicles, and 3D printing of a nanocellulose alginate product.

Governments around the world are pushing industries to reduce their volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. VOCs include very different type of chemicals but they may be dangerous to human health and therefore there is a common desire to reduce the use of them. Health effects vary from eye, nose and throat irritation to causing cancer.

One of the advantages of cellulosic materials (including nanocellulose and microfibrillated cellulose (MFC)) compared to synthetic materials, is their environmentally friendly profile as well as their biodegradability. This profile is impacted by the number of chemical reactions the product will undergo during the manufacturing process. It would therefore be favorable to obtain desired chemical properties via physical adsorption instead of chemical reactions.

Introducing a totally new material or technology to the market can often be challenging. Most people tend to have their favorite products which they know and prefer to work with. The natural way of testing of a new material is to compare it with the current products and apply the existing working routines to the first test runs. In some cases this approach might work but unfortunately in many cases it leads to a failure.

Wound dressings are advanced materials designed for securing sufficient healing of exterior wounds. These dressings have been around for a while, often containing hydrocolloids to be able to protect and absorb moist as well as increase the wound healing speed.  I will  give you a short overview of what types of wound dressings that are available and how microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) may give a new addition to this field of technology.

The transformation from cathode ray tubes to LCD displays has been rapid since the early 2000s. We now have thinner, lighter and bigger screens available with affordable prices. You have probably also seen pictures of flexible displays and read stories about flexible mobile phones and foldable screens. I'm sure many of you have also thought if we really need those and would it in the end be practical to have a foldable display in your pocket. Probably not, but flexible displays allow new product opportunities for many industries such as car industry and consumer products. However, one of the biggest drivers for the flexible displays is actually related to the manufacturing of the displays.

Innovation in aerospace technologies is moving forward with a very high pace. Since the mid-1990s we have seen the birth of much more energy efficient propulsion systems, increased use of advanced materials like carbon fiber, a higher level of adhesives used and improved customer experience through noise reduction. So what’s next on the agenda for all the companies involved? Can we continue to improve the materials or have we started to reach the end of optimization? And are there any new materials coming that could be part of changing the game yet again? 

Can MFC assist formulators of car care products achieve the next level of performance? Can it offer ease of use for consumers and car care professionals, while at the same time using safer, more environmentally friendly additives with a wide range of functionality? I think the answer is yes, and I will show you why.