Green Composites From Sustainable Cellulose Nanofibrils

Abstract

By default, cellulose nanofibrils are green materials obtained by further processing of nanocellulose obtained from the polymeric cellulose materials which are non toxic and biodegradable. This article reviews the recent research and development on green nano composite providing a brief overview and possibility of further exploration in the area of application. Ecological concern has renewed the global awareness on the demerits of petroleum based product such as resins which are toxic and not biodegradable over the use of natural materials which are renewable resources based, recyclable, and biodegradable. Research on the natural fiber materials has increased significantly in the recent past leading to the discovery of cellulose nanofibers with excellent mechanical properties and thermal stability in green nano composite. Depending on the method of extraction, nanocellulose has been categorized into three namely: Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) or nanofibril cellulose (NFC), Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) or Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), and Bacterial Cellulose (BC) with excellent, efficiency and environmental friendly production techniques. Hence the trends of emergence of sustainable and environmental friendly green composite to replace the conventional petrochemical or synthetic based fibers has been on the increase and are being promoted as the way of the future. The applications of some natural fibers in green composite materials in a variety of fields and the challenges of the utilization of natural fibers for green composite are equally reviewed with the aim of improving the level of its application. This article brought out the interest of researchers on the potential of cellulose nano materials in green composite for several industrial applications.