Nanocellulose Processing Properties and Potential Applications
Résumé
Despite being the most available natural polymer on earth, it is only quite recently that cellulose has gained prominence as a nanostructured material. Different forms of cellulose nanomaterials, resulting from a top-down deconstructing strategy (cellulose nanocrystals-CNCs, cellulose nanofibrils-CNFs) or bottom-up strategy (bacterial cellulose-BC) can be prepared. Multiple mechanical shearing actions applied to cellulosic fibers release more or less individually the nanofibrils. A controlled strong acid hydrolysis treatment can be applied to cellulosic fibers allowing dissolution of amorphous domains. The mechanical modulus of crystalline cellulose is the basis of many potential applications.