Nanomanifestations of cellulose: Applications for biodegradable composites

High-strength and high-stiffness nanocelluloses are extracted from native cellulose which is an abundant and sustainable material. Cellulose can come with different manifestations in terms of morphologies and microstructure. The variation of cellulose morphology at the nanoscale comes from the way the material is processed or extracted. We discuss four types of nanocellulose manifestations, namely, nanocrystalline cellulose, electrospun cellulose, microfibrillated cellulose, and bacterial cellulose. The low density and biodegradable nature of these cellulose manifestations make them very desirable material. Nanocomposites prepared from cellulose are of great interest, owing to the many end-use applications. If they are to be used with hydrophobic polymers and ensure a good level of dispersion, chemical surface modification of nanocelluloses is necessary. In addition to the interfacial characteristics, the nanocellulose morphology can also dictate the processing method of the nanocomposites. In this chapter, we put particular emphasis on two important applications of nanocellulose-reinforced biodegradable polymers: Packaging and tissue engineering.