Utilization of the wood building blocks in new bio-based materials is a focus area at PFI.  

Wood and plant fibres can be fibrillated into their smaller building blocks, i.e. the microfibrils, which are particles with diameter in nanoscale and with high aspect ratio. This nano material may be utilized in a series of products in a wide range of application areas, e.g. paper, emulsions, composites and packaging material.

Nanofibrils may enhance the strength and surface properties of different paper grades. Superior barrier against oxygen may be obtained by forming dense and compact fibril network structures.

Another central application area is in composites where fibres/fibrils act as reinforcement. By using nanofibrils, nanocomposites may obtain improved mechanical properties.