AFM study of Micro Fibrllated Cellulose, (MFC) in controlled atmosphere

Abstract: In this thesis, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is used to characterize Micro Fibrillated Cellulose (MFC) produced by two different methods according to their size and shape. For one of these MFC-types, their interaction with the humidity in the atmosphere is investigated and their swelling is calculated. MFC is a relatively new material based on cellulose fibres extracted from wood. This study is performed in co-operation with Stora Enso research centre. Stora Enso is a renewable material company which uses mostly wood based raw materials in their production. The measured swelling is ~ 5 % and depends on the number of elementary fibrils included in the fibre.