Nanocellulose: a new generation of high-performance green fiber leading materials technology

1. What is nanocellulose?

Nanocellulose is a nanoscale functional material obtained from natural cellulose after mechanical, chemical or enzymatic treatment. The fiber diameter is usually 5-50 nm . It has natural advantages such as high crystallinity, high aspect ratio, renewable and degradable. It is known as the ' super material in the green era '。

Nanocellulose is mainly divided into three categories:

CNF (cellulose nanofibers) : Obtained by mechanical or TEMPO oxidation pretreatment, in the form of filaments.

CNC (Cellulose Nanocrystal) : Obtained after acid hydrolysis, the structure is highly crystalline.

BC (bacterial cellulose) : synthesized by fermentation of bacterial strains with extremely high purity.

2. Core performance advantages

1. Ultra-high mechanical strength and modulus

The strength of nanocellulose can reach 1–2 GPa , and the Young’s modulus can reach 100–150 GPa , which is an order of magnitude higher than conventional wood pulp fibers and comparable to high-strength fibers such as Kevlar. It is an ideal reinforcing phase for building high-performance composite materials.

2. Extremely high specific surface area and interfacial activity

The specific surface area of ​​nanocellulose can reach 100-300 m²/g , which can significantly improve the material's reinforcement efficiency, adsorption performance and interface binding ability; its surface contains a large number of hydroxyl groups, which can be functionally modified to expand more application scenarios.

3. Green, environmentally friendly and rich in sources

Using renewable resources such as wood pulp, bamboo pulp, and crop residues as raw materials, the production process is low-carbon and biodegradable, which is in line with the global sustainable development trend.

4. Excellent optical and rheological properties

It has high transparency and good dispersion, and is suitable for transparent films and coatings. It exhibits unique viscoelasticity and can be used in functional gels and 3Dprinting materials.

3. Typical application directions of nanocellulose

1. Green packaging materials

Nanocellulose can be used to prepare high-strength, degradable packaging papers, coatings and bio-based films for food packaging and anti-counterfeiting labels, replacing traditional plastics.

2. Medical and biological materials

With high biocompatibility and water retention, it can be used for:

Wound dressing

Artificial skin

drug sustained release carrier

Bacterial cellulose ( BC ) is outstanding in the medical field because of its ultra-high purity.

3. High performance composite materials

As a reinforcing material, nanocellulose can significantly improve the mechanical properties and heat resistance of resins, rubbers, and coatings, and can be used in automobile lightweighting, building materials, and electronic functional materials.

4. Flexible electronics and conductive materials

After functionalization, it can be applied to:

Flexible screen substrate

Conductive ink

sensor

battery separator

Its lightweight, high-strength, and degradable characteristics are pushing flexible electronics into the green era.

5. Filtration and adsorption materials

Due to its nano-network structure, it can be used in air filtration, heavy metal adsorption, water treatment and other fields to achieve high-efficiency purification.

4. Industry Prospects

With the growing demand for plastic ban, low carbonization and material upgrading globally, the nanocellulose market is expanding rapidly. It is expected in the coming years. 5to be widely used in high value-added fields such as packaging, medical care, automotive materials and consumer electronics Its green, lightweight, and high-strength advantages make it an important strategic direction for the next generation of materials.