II.A.1.b.i.2: Engineering Nanocellulose Materials for High Ballistic Impact Performance

The objective of the proposed research is to investigate the size, microstructure, and surface chemistry dependent mechanics of neat nanocellulose thin films from a molecular viewpoint, and establish design principles for maximizing the performance of these nanostructured materials under microballistic impact. In pursuit of this overarching objective, our first aim will be to establish a coarse-grained molecular dynamics modeling framework for nanocellulose fibrils. Building on this capability, our second aim will be to relate nanocellulose fibril microstructure in thin films to ballistic impact performance.