Nanocellulose: Recent Fundamental Advances and Emerging Biological and Biomimicking Applications

Abstract

In the effort toward sustainable advanced functional materials, nanocelluloses have attracted extensive recent attention. Nanocelluloses range from rod‐like highly crystalline cellulose nanocrystals to longer and more entangled cellulose nanofibers, earlier denoted also as microfibrillated celluloses and bacterial cellulose. In recent years, they have spurred research toward a wide range of applications, ranging from nanocomposites, viscosity modifiers, films, barrier layers, fibers, structural color, gels, aerogels and foams, and energy applications, until filtering membranes, to name a few. Still, nanocelluloses continue to show surprisingly high challenges to master their interactions and tailorability to allow well‐controlled assemblies for functional materials. Rather than trying to review the already extensive nanocellulose literature at large, here selected aspects of the recent progress are the focus. Water interactions, which are central for processing for the functional properties, are discussed first. Then advanced hybrid gels toward (multi)stimuli responses, shape‐memory materials, self‐healing, adhesion and gluing, biological scaffolding, and forensic applications are discussed. Finally, composite fibers are discussed, as well as nanocellulose as a strategy for improvement of photosynthesis‐based chemicals production. In summary, selected perspectives toward new directions for sustainable high‐tech functional materials science based on nanocelluloses are described.

Luminescent Gold Nanocluster‐Methylcellulose Composite Optical Fibers with Low Attenuation Coefficient and High Photostability

“…Surprisingly, it has not been broadly explored for fiber optics, [ 41 ] even though various cellulose derivatives and nanocelluloses have been widely studied for several other photonic applications. [ 42–54 ] Among a few examples, cellulose‐derived optical fibers have been reported based on hydroxypropyl cellulose (core)‐cellulose butyrate (cladding) fibers and cellulose acetate‐coated regenerated cellulose fibers. [ 55,56 ] Their preparation still involves high‐temperature treatments and ionic liquids.…”

Cellulose Nanocrystals/Chitosan-Based Nanosystems: Synthesis, Characterization, and Cellular Uptake on Breast Cancer Cells

“…This polysaccharide, and particularly its nanoscale forms, viz. cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) and bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) [6], are showing incredible potential as precursors of nanomaterials for a deluge of applications, including in the fight against cancer [7][8][9]. In fact, the number of developed systems for cancer diagnosis and treatment [7,9,10] is increasing at a fast pace since this large group of diseases is the second leading cause of death globally, with ca.…”

Challenges in Synthesis and Analysis of Asymmetrically Grafted Cellulose Nanocrystals via Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

“… 2 , 3 Owing to their interesting physicochemical properties, CNCs are highly attractive for biobased or biocompatible applications in fields ranging from packaging to biomedical devices, cosmetics, nanocomposites and rheological modifiers in industrial liquids. 4 − 7 …”