Nanocellulose: Recent Advances Toward Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Sustainable materials are key to the continual improvement of living standards on this planet with minimal environmental impacts. Nanocellulose combines the fascinating features of nanomaterials with favorable properties of the abundantly available cellulose biopolymer, which in recent years has gained much attention toward biomedical applications by virtue of its unique surface chemistry, remarkable physical features, and inherent biological attributes. Herein, the recent advances in nanocellulose-based biomedical materials, with foci on biomolecule immobilization, drug delivery, cell culture and tissue engineering (TE), antimicrobial strategy, wound healing, and biomedical implants are summarized. Each topic is elaborated with representative examples to present the significance of nanocelluloses in their respective material design principles utilizing different sub-types, including cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), and bacterial nanocellulose (BNC). The current state of large-scale production of nanocellulose and accelerated development by artificial intelligence and machine learning are also briefly discussed, before ending with its future prospects and potential challenges.