Abstract

Cellulose is an abundant renewable resource which can be used directly or in chemically modified forms in a number of applications. Nanocrystalline cellulose can be derived from biomass, and so are biodegradable, renewable and can serve as environmentally friendly materials. Nanocrystalline cellulose is aquaphilic in nature but can be surface functionalised to meet various challenging requirements such as the development of high performance nanocomposites. In this article the background information on cellulose; its structure and different methods for the preparation of nanocrystalline together with their functionalization and applications are presented.

Keywords: Cellulose, Nanocrystalline Cellolose, Preparation, Modification, Properties, Applications