Understanding the nanoscale structure of wood and other lignocellulosic biomass opens new ways to utilize these abundant and renewable raw materials. Besides traditional applications as construction materials and in papermaking, they can be processed into new materials that have intriguing properties owing to their nanostructure.

X-ray scattering techniques can provide unique insights into the nanoscale structure of lignocellulosic materials. The combination of small and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS, WAXS) allows efficient characterization of the hierarchical structure of wood. It can also be used to follow the effects of moisture changes on the tiniest building blocks of the cell walls – the microfibrils. Moreover, materials derived from wood, such as pulps and lignocellulosic nanomaterials, can be studied under various conditions and without the necessity of drying the samples. For example, SAXS can be used to characterize the structure of nanoparticles made from lignin, a major component of wood with many emerging applications.

This webinar presents various recent examples of SAXS and WAXS experiments carried out on lignocellulosic materials at Aalto University. These investigations have yielded important structural information that supports the development of new sustainable materials from renewable resources.