Nanocelluloses, including nanocrystalline cellulose, nanofibrillated cellulose and bacterial cellulose nanofibers, have become fascinating building blocks for the design of new biomaterials. Derived from the must abundant and renewable biopolymer, they are drawing a tremendous level of attention, which certainly will continue to grow in the future driven by the sustainability trend. This growing interest is related to their unsurpassed quintessential physical and chemical properties. Yet, owing to their hydrophilic nature, their utilization is restricted to applications involving hydrophilic or polar media, which limits their exploitation. With the presence of a large number of chemical functionalities within their structure, these building blocks provide a unique platform for significant surface modification through various chemistries. These chemical modifications are prerequisite, sometimes unavoidable, to adapt the interfacial properties of nanocellulose substrates or adjust their hydrophilic–hydrophobic balance. Therefore, various chemistries have been developed aiming to surface-modify these nano-sized substrates in order to confer to them specific properties, extending therefore their use to highly sophisticated applications. This review collocates current knowledge in the research and development of nanocelluloses and emphasizes more particularly on the chemical modification routes developed so far for their functionalization.

Key advances in the chemical modification of nanocelluloses

Polylactide (PLA)-based nanocomposites

Biobased plastics and bionanocomposites: Current status and future opportunities

Cellulosic nanoparticles with high Young's modu- lus, crystallinity, specific surface area, and aspect ratio can be found in the natural structure of plant fibers. Indeed, lignocel- lulosic fibers consist of semicrystalline cellulose nanofibrils embedded in an amorphous matrix mainly composed of lignin and hemicelluloses. These nanostructures give the mechanical strength to higher plant cells, and are biodegradable, renew- able, resistant, and widely available to produce nanocompo- sites with low density, and improved and controlled mechanical, optical, and barrier properties. Nanoparticles can be extracted from cellulose using a top-down mechanically or chemically assisted deconstructing strategy, and owing to their highly reactive surface ensuing nanomaterials can be chemi- cally modified to tailor their properties for a wide range of applications. This review is limited to cellulose chemically extracted nanocrystals and aims to provide an overview about several aspects that involve this material, including sources, properties, challenges, and perspectives. V C 2014 Wiley Periodi- cals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014, 00, 000-000

https://www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/polb.23490

F. DeBuyl

Papers

Surface-modification of cellulose nanowhiskers and their use as nanoreinforcers into polylactide: A sustainably-integrated approach