Also: CNC, nanocellulose, cellulose nanowhiskers
Cellulose nanocrystals are tiny rod-shaped crystals extracted from plant or bacterial cellulose. They are stiff, light and renewable, and can self-assemble into colourful films, reinforce plastics and form ultralight aerogels.
Readiness: lab lab studies · prototype demonstrated objects · commercial products or buildings in real use · review summaries of other studies.
Pickering emulsions stabilised by bacterial cellulose nanocrystals.
Built / tested: emulsions
As reported in: Kalashnikova, Bizot, Cathala et al. (2011). New Pickering Emulsions Stabilized by Bacterial Cellulose Nanocrystals. Langmuir. doi:10.1021/la200971f
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A review of properties and challenges of cellulose nanocrystals and their nanocomposites.
As reported in: Mariano, El Kissi, Dufresne (2014). Cellulose nanocrystals and related nanocomposites: Review of some properties and challenges. Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics. doi:10.1002/polb.23490
Chemically cross-linked cellulose nanocrystal aerogels with shape recovery and superabsorbent properties.
Built / tested: aerogels
As reported in: Yang, Cranston (2014). Chemically Cross-Linked Cellulose Nanocrystal Aerogels with Shape Recovery and Superabsorbent Properties. Chemistry of Materials. doi:10.1021/cm502873c
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Flexible, responsive films of cellulose nanocrystals and polyethylene glycol with uniform, tunable structural colour from a chiral nematic arrangement.
Built / tested: structural colour films
As reported in: Yao, Meng, Bulone et al. (2017). Flexible and Responsive Chiral Nematic Cellulose Nanocrystal/Poly(ethylene glycol) Composite Films with Uniform and Tunable Structural Color. Advanced Materials. doi:10.1002/adma.201701323
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Carboxymethyl cellulose films reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals made from pea hull waste, characterised for food packaging.
Built / tested: food packaging films
As reported in: Li, Shi, He et al. (2020). Preparation and characterization of carboxymethyl cellulose-based composite films reinforced by cellulose nanocrystals derived from pea hull waste for food packaging applications. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.09.010
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Studied transparency, water-vapour barrier and tensile properties of bio-nanocomposite films reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals.
Built / tested: films
As reported in: El Miri, Abdelouahdi, Barakat et al. (2015). Bio-nanocomposite films reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals: Rheology of film-forming solutions, transparency, water vapor barrier and tensile properties of films. Carbohydrate Polymers. doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2015.04.051
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