All things cellulose: a personal account of some historic events

Excerpt

The interest in molecularly organized structures of cellulose and related crystalline polysaccharides, on all levels of dimension, predates the current interest in nanoscience by multiple generations. On the occasion of the publication in this issue of CELLULOSE of the article by Tsuzuki et al., which deals with the conversion of nanocellulose into carbon fibers, I wish to provide an historic perspective. My observations are derived from my activities as a UNION CARBIDE consultant for the development of high strength carbon fibers in the years 1965. My McGill University thesis [published in Svenk Paperstidning 59 (1956), 859–869], which was entitled “Effect of freeze—drying on the properties of Cellulose Fibers and Paper”, was pioneering in this field. There followed a pyrolysis treatment some 50 years later to yield amorphous carbon fibers: Carbon Nanofibers (CNFs). The paper in this issue entitled “Fabrication of Carbon Nanofiber by Pyrolysis of Freeze—dried Cellulose Nanofiber”, which introduces several novel experimental techniques, can be considered a follow-up to these earlier studies. These studies were related to cellulosic nanofibers without using the same terminology. These novel experimental techniques include ball-milling, special wood pulps (Cell NF), and as expressed by the authors: “Optimization of the carbonization conditions”. …