21 - Cellulose nanocomposites: Opportunities, challenges, and applications

Abstract

Nanocellulose as renewable natural fiber has gained significant research interest and is considered the prime and promising candidate for replacing synthetic fibers. It found enormous biomedical applications when combined with biobased/renewable polymers. This chapter compiles four main sections. The first section briefly discussed the different sources and hierarchy of cellulose nanofibers, while the second section critically discussed the production of cellulosic nanoparticles, i.e., cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and microfibrillated cellulose (MFC), their self-assembly in solution and solid phase, their tensile and reinforcing properties, as well as surface modification done to assist their incorporation into different polymer matrices. The third section discussed the mechanical properties, the effect of processing methods on mechanical properties and displayed micromechanical modeling used for predicting their reinforcing potential in nanocomposites. In addition, this section also reviewed the up-to-date challenges and progresses that were accomplished by researchers to fabricate potential nanocellulose-based nanocomposite. Enormous biomedical applications of nanocellulose and its nanocomposites were listed and highlighted in the last section.