Faculty: Dr. Emily D. Cranston

 

 

Dr. Cranston

Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering

McMaster University
1280 Main Street West, Hamilton
Ontario, Canada  L8S 4L7

office: JHE-A412
email:ecranst@mcmaster.ca
voice: (905) 525-9140 ext.24369
fax: (905) 521-1350

B.Sc. Chemistry with Bio-Organic Option, McGill University (2001)
Ph.D. Materials Chemistry, McGill University (2008)
Post-Doctoral Associate, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm,
Sweden (2008-2010)

Cranston Research Group Website


Research Interests

My research aims to design high-performance materials to replace those that are based on non-renewable resources by learning from nature and using biological components. Currently, my bio-component of choice is nanocellulose.  More specifically, this work includes investigating and modifying interfacial properties between nanocomposite components and encompasses a wide range of disciplines including polymer and surface chemistry, nanotribology, and pulp and paper science.

 

Surface Engineering of Sustainable Materials Based on Nanocellulose

Cellulose is particularly promising for use in new materials because it is the most abundant natural substance on earth and has very high mechanical strength, similar to stainless steel and Kevlar. Recently, nanometer-sized particles of cellulose, in the form of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC), have gained attention in the media because they will soon be produced industrially at the Domtar demonstration plant in Windsor, Quebec. NCC can be manufactured from wood pulp and used to create novel nanomaterials such as composites, coatings, gels and foams. Future value-added products from NCC will include paints, cosmetics and biomedical devices and a more general goal is to replace existing non-biodegradable plastic composites with NCC materials.

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This research addresses some of the most important unresolved scientific issues regarding the design of new nanocellulose composites (and perhaps nanocomposites in general!), including:

    • Improving the compatibility between composite components
    • Thoroughly (and reproducibly) measuring the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of nanomaterials
    • Evaluating potential toxicity and biodegradability
    • Standardizing nanometrology and manufacturing processes

    Selected Publications

    • Cranston, E. D.; Eita, M.; Johansson, E.; Netrval, J.; Salajkova, M.; Arwin, H; Wågberg, L. Determination of the Young's modulus for microfibrillated cellulose thin films using buckling mechanics, Biomacromolecules 2011, 12 (4),961-969.
    • Cranston, E. D.; Gray, D. G.; Rutland, M. W. Direct Surface Force Measurements of Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Films Containing Nanocrystalline Cellulose, Langmuir 2010, 26, (22), 17190–17197.
    • Cranston, E. D.; Gray, D. G. Model Cellulose I Surfaces; A Review. ACS Symposium Series 2009, Editor: M. Roman, 1019, 75-93.
    • Cranston, E. D.; Gray, D. G., Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Films Containing Cellulose; A Review. ACS Symposium Series 2009, Editor: M. Roman, 1019, 95-114.
    • Hasani, M.; Cranston, E. D.; Westman, G.; Gray, D. G., Cationic Surface Functionalization of Cellulose Nanocrystals, Soft Matter 2008, 4, (11), 2238-2244.
    • Cranston, E. D.; Gray, D. G., Birefringence in Spin-Coated Films Containing Cellulose Nanocrystals. Colloids and Surfaces A 2008, 325, (1-2), 44-51.
    • Cranston, E. D.; Gray, D. G., Morphological and Optical Characterization of Polyelectrolyte Multilayers Incorporating Nanocrystalline Cellulose. Biomacromolecules 2006, 7, (9), 2522-2530.
    • Cranston, E. D.; Gray, D. G., Formation of Cellulose-based Electrostatic Layer-by-layer Films in a Magnetic Field. Science and Technology of Advanced Materials 2006, 7, (4), 319-321.
    • Cranston, E.; Kawada, J.; Raymond, S.; Morin, F.; Marchessault, R.H. Co-Crystallization Model for Synthetic Biodegradable Poly(butyene adipate-co-butylene terephthalate). Biomacromolecules 2003, 4, (4), 995-999.