Nanocellulose-based products for sustainable applications-recent trends and possibilities

Abstract

The bio-based products can provide a solution to the problems associated with petroleum shortages and waste treatment. Nanocellulose development has raised massive interest for a variety of applications pertinent to the material engineering to biomedical fields due to its biodegradable nature, impressive optical properties, anisotropic shape, high mechanical strength, excellent biocompatibility and tailorable surface chemistry. The nanocellulose composites show improved properties compared to other biopolymers due to their high surface area and large aspect ratio of nanoparticles. In this review, a clear overview of nanocellulose extraction, structural properties, sources and their applications in versatile fields are discussed. The foreseen markets of nanocellulose products can be categorised into different levels namely low-end, mid-range and high-end applications. An interdisciplinary research is essential to commercialize nanocellulose based products for sustainable applications.