Cambridge researchers colour textiles with cellulose
05/08/2014
When suspended in water, cellulose nanocrystals assemble into layers reflect light of a specific colour, depending on the dimensions of the layers.
By varying humidity during the film fabrication, the researchers were able to change the colour and capture the different phases of the colour formation.
“Nature is a great source of inspiration: we can use biocompatible, cheap and abundant materials for making materials that have applications in everyday life,” said Dr Silvia Vignolini, who led the research.
Cellulose is made up of long chains of sugar molecules, and is the most abundant biomass material in nature. It can be found in the cells of every plant and is the main compound that gives cell walls their strength.
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