Abstract
This review paper provides a recent overview of current international research that is being conducted into the functional properties of cellulose as a nanomaterial. A particular emphasis is placed on fundamental and applied research that is being undertaken to generate applications, which are now becoming a real prospect given the developments in the field over the last 20 years. A short introduction covers the context of the work, and definitions of the different forms of cellulose nanomaterials (CNMs) that are most widely studied. We also address the terminology used for CNMs, suggesting a standard way to classify these materials. The reviews are separated out into theme areas, namely healthcare, water purification, biocomposites, and energy. Each section contains a short review of the field within the theme and summarizes recent work being undertaken by the groups represented. Topics that are covered include cellulose nanocrystals for directed growth of tissues, bacterial cellulose in healthcare, nanocellulose for drug delivery, nanocellulose for water purification, nanocellulose for thermoplastic composites, nanocellulose for structurally colored materials, transparent wood biocomposites, supercapacitors and batteries.
Highlights
The world is facing a very near and present crisis in terms of climate change and the threat to life
The world needs to move to more sustainable choices for its materials, but that it needs to embed sustainability across all sectors of the economy
Nanocellulose has the potential to contribute to sustainability, but there needs to be careful consideration about the ways in which it is used in everyday applications, and there are hurdles to overcome in the embedded energy costs for its production
Summary
Renewable resource, i.e., plants, which in addition sequester carbon dioxide from the Earth’s atmosphere for its production and can be potentially returned to the Earth at end-of-life. CNFs are typically produced by the mechanical fibrillation of plant cellulose, either via processes such as homogenization, grinding, or excessive beating of pulp This generates fibrillar materials (see Fig. 2b), and the reader is referred to a previous publication on this subject (where the material is termed ‘microfibrillated cellulose’) [14]. We will aim to be consistent in our description of nanocellulose and thereby conform to standards that have been recently laid out in another comprehensive review of techniques to analyze what should collectively be called cellulose nanomaterials (CNMs) [18] This is the acronym we will use to refer to the different forms of ‘nanocellulose’. We will conform to the international organization for standardization (ISO) on the terminology used for CNMs [19] where possible and to otherwise revert to commonly used terms
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