USING BIO-DERIVED CNC as bubble nucleating agent and reinforcement for foamed plastics in automotive application for lightweighting and decreasing carbon footprint.

Working with industry partners, the Clemson team engineered and constructed an ultra-lightweight thermoplastics composites door that enables innovation for greenhouse gas reduction, recyclability, and circular economy.

1. Bio-derived CNC are eco-friendly than conventional nucleating agent.
2. CNC fibers act as both reinforcement and nucleating agents which promote the foaming behavior of the composites to achieve good cell morphology while retain the good mechanical properties.
3. 15-20% light weighting can be achieved when replacing commercially used TPO used
4. Potential applications for CNC reinforced Poly propylene