Cellulose nanowhiskers reinforced green nanocomposites: some recent development

Abstract

Cellulose is the most abundant biomass material in nature. Due to their abundance, high strength and stiffness, low weight and biodegradability, cellulose materials serve as promising candidates for bio-composites production. Extracted from natural fibres, its hierarchical and multi-level organization allows different kinds of cellulosic fillers to be obtained; microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and cellulose nanowhiskers (CNW). Because of the high aspect ratio and nanoscopic size, CNW has shown to be an effective reinforcement to many polymers. The use of CNW as reinforcements in nanocomposites is becoming increasingly attractive leading to green nanocomposites; biodegradable and renewable. Among the green polymers, polylactic acid (PLA) acid has shown to be very popular due to the good mechanical properties. This paper will provide a review of recent studies on the use of CNW in various green polymers with greater emphasis on PLA. Comparison between the effects MCC and CNW in the nanocomposites will also be discussed.