Ultimate Body Armor
Because nanocellulose is made from a tightly packed
array of needle-like crystals, it’s incredibly tough stuff. In fact, it
has a strength-to-weight ratio that’s eight times higher than stainless
steel, which makes it perfect for building future body armour that’s
both strong and light.
Super-Flexible Screens
Because nanocellulose is transparent, light and
strong, it can be used in place of plastic or glass. That’s why Pioneer
Electronics is experimenting with it to make some of the most insanely
thin - and flexible - screens of the future.
....
Future Filters
A bit like graphene, the nanostructure of
nanocellulose can be used to create fancy filters that can purify all
kinds of liquids. That might mean making saltwater drinkable — but it
could also be used to filter out blood cells during transfusions, or
even trap dangerous chemicals in cigarettes.
Bendable Batteries
Swap the — usually thick and stiff — separators
inside batteries for something made of thin, flexible nanocellulose, and
all of a sudden you end up with a mobile power source that bends a
little. Combine it with a graphene shell, and you might just have the
flexible battery we’ve all been dreaming of.
Ultra-Absorbent Aerogels
Because it’s so strong and light, nanocellulose can be crafted into foam that can support more than 10,000 times
its own weight. As a result, it’s incredibly porous and
super-absorbent. This stuff could make the fanciest wound-dressings and
tampons you could ever possibly imagine.
Incredibly Fuel-Efficient Cars
Because nanocellulose is actually quite cheap — it’s
made by algae, after all — it should be possible to use it in serious
bulk. In fact, Ford reckons it will be able to create so many components
out of the stuff — from body panels to interior trim — that it could
shave 340kg off the weight of its cars. Prepare for your petrol bill to
plummet.
Bounteous Biofuel
In the process of having algae chomp through wood
pulp to make nanocellulose, it’s possible to rig the process - by
tweaking the DNA of the helpful little bugs — to create biofuel at the
same time. OK, technically not a product of nanocellulose, but an
amazingly useful byproduct of its production.
