Biobased nanomaterials and polymer nanocomposites
Résumé
Unexpected and attractive properties can be observed when decreasing the size of a material down to the nanoscale. Cellulose and other polysaccharides (starch, chitin) are no exception to the rule. These materials are abundant, renewable, non-toxic, low density and biodegradable. In the nanoscale, some properties such as mechanical properties and surface reactivity are exacerbated. Cellulose nanomaterials are therefore promising candidates for the preparation of bionanocomposites and other nanodevices. Although cellulose is the most available natural polymer on Earth, it is only recently that it has gained importance as a nanostructured material thanks to its hierarchical structure. Cellulosic nanomaterials are generally in the form of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) or cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). Intense mechanical shear applied to the cellulosic fibers, thus liberating more or less individually the nanofibrils, is …