Preparation, Properties, and Advanced Functional Applications of Nanocellulose

Abstract

Cellulose is the most abundant natural polymer on earth, which widely exists in various biomasses such as wood, bamboo, and other forestry and agricultural crops. Nanocelluloses isolated by various physical, chemical, and mechanical ways, as the second-generation cellulose products, facilitate the special microstructural formation such as rigid nano crystals and flexible nano fibrils, which display the high specific surface area, the excellent comprehensive mechanical strengths and thermal stability, as well as easy tailorability. Nanocellulose has been considered as a most important renewable, biodegradable, high-added-value bioresource for the development of novel functional bio-products in the future of wood industry and its industrial cross fields, including construction, polymer adhesives, composite fabrication and reinforcement, green energy storage and adsorption system. This chapter aims to introduce the important preparation and isolation methods, the basic and special properties, and several novel advanced functional applications of nanocellulose.