The EuroNanoForum 2021 Conference was held on 5 and 6 May.

CETIM researchers participated with 2 contributions from the area of Advanced Materials-Lignocellulosics.

El congreso EuroNanoForum llevado a cabo en Portugal, buscaba abordar el papel de las tecnologías e industrias nanotecnológicas para lograr una transformación en la UE hacia la prosperidad. El evento puso de manifiesto el papel de la I+D, así como las oportunidades que ofrece el próximo Programa Marco de la UE: Horizonte Europa.

The EuroNanoForum conference, held in Portugal, sought to address the role of nanotechnological technologies and industries to achieve a transformation in the EU towards prosperity. The event highlighted the role of R&D as well as the opportunities offered by the next EU Framework Programme: Horizon Europe.

The event brought together experts from different sectors to identify policy options and priorities. In addition to sharing information on technical, industrial and societal challenges, views and ideas on the role of nanotechnology and advanced materials in the EU’s recovery are discussed. The aim is to boost the economy through clean technology, highlighting its benefits and practical challenges. These ambitious goals of a greener, digital, resilient and sustainable economy and society can only be achieved through the co-creation of innovative solutions with the collective effort of key actors spanning researchers, innovators, industries, regions, public authorities, investors and civil society.

During the EuroNanoForum 2021 event, a high-level virtual poster session covering all the conference themes was available for viewers and authors to interact.

From CETIM, we attended this Congress and, specifically, we made two contributions to this session. Both posters focused on the idea of using nanocellulose (NC) as a raw material in different sectors.

On the one hand, María del Mar Castro, Head of the lignocellulosic materials area, co-authored the poster “Adhesion and stability of roll-to-roll cellulose nanofiber coatings on textiles and paperboard”, in collaboration with Elena Domínguez, Vanesa Regueira and Rosalía Noguerol. The poster is the result of research carried out by CETIM to find functional materials that provide barrier properties, on different surfaces, against oxygen, water vapour, grease, microorganisms, etc. 

Previous studies have shown that NC coatings offer excellent properties. Thus, the work presented shows the results of the roll-to-roll coating process with cellulose nanofibre suspensions on different substrates for renewable barrier applications.

On the other hand, Alicia Bañón, R&D technician in the Advanced Materials department, co-authored the poster “Nanocellulose and micro / nano silicon anodes for the new era of lithium-ion batteries”, in collaboration with María del Mar Castro and Rosalía Noguerol. The poster is the result of research carried out by CETIM with the aim of finding efficient and environmentally friendly energy alternatives, especially designed for electromobility and batteries.

The efficiency, costs and impact of batteries depend on the materials that compose them, so CETIM is looking for new, more efficient materials of organic origin. In the work presented, cellulose nanoparticles are used to improve the capacity and electrochemical performance of the new generation of micro/nano silicon anodes. In addition, techniques are proposed to obtain a nano-Si: nanocellulose: polymer composite.