Surface forces in lignocellulosic systems

•Surface interactions relevant for papermaking and biocomposites are reviewed.•SFA and AFM have been used to study surface and friction forces of lignocellulosics.•Force measurements improved the understanding of different phenomena in papermaking.•Currently focus is on optimizing novel lignocellulosic materials.

Lignocellulosics, i.e., cellulose, lignin and hemicelluloses, are natural renewable polymers of high technological interest. The properties of products based on these polymers are largely determined by the forces at their interfaces. This review summarizes the main findings related to surface interactions relevant for papermaking and describes how the interest in novel, high performance renewable materials has changed the focus of the research to nanocellulosic materials. Areas of interest that need further work are also outlined.

Graphical abstractDownload high-res image (131KB)Download full-size image