Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, Espoo, FI-00076, Finland.
Center of Excellence Molecular Engineering of Biosynthetic Hybrid Materials Research, Aalto University and VTT, Espoo, FI-00076, Finland.
Adv Mater. 2018 Jun;30(24):e1703779. doi: 10.1002/adma.201703779. Epub 2018 Mar 5.
There is an emerging quest for lightweight materials with excellent mechanical properties and economic production, while still being sustainable and functionalizable. They could form the basis of the future bioeconomy for energy and material efficiency. Cellulose has long been recognized as an abundant polymer. Modified celluloses were, in fact, among the first polymers used in technical applications; however, they were later replaced by petroleum-based synthetic polymers. Currently, there is a resurgence of interest to utilize renewable resources, where cellulose is foreseen to make again a major impact, this time in the development of advanced materials. This is because of its availability and properties, as well as economic and sustainable production. Among cellulose-based structures, cellulose nanofibrils and nanocrystals display nanoscale lateral dimensions and lengths ranging from nanometers to micrometers. Their excellent mechanical properties are, in part, due to their crystalline assembly via hydrogen bonds. Owing to their abundant surface hydroxyl groups, they can be easily modified with nanoparticles, (bio)polymers, inorganics, or nanocarbons to form functional fibers, films, bulk matter, and porous aerogels and foams. Here, some of the recent progress in the development of advanced materials within this rapidly growing field is reviewed.
人们对具有优异机械性能和经济生产效益、同时还具有可持续性和功能化特性的轻质材料的需求日益增长。这些材料可能会成为未来能源和材料效率型生物经济的基础。纤维素长期以来一直被认为是一种丰富的聚合物。事实上，改性纤维素是最早应用于技术领域的聚合物之一；然而，后来它们被基于石油的合成聚合物所取代。目前，人们重新产生了利用可再生资源的兴趣，纤维素有望再次产生重大影响，这一次是在先进材料的开发方面。这是因为它具有可用性和特性，以及经济和可持续的生产方式。在基于纤维素的结构中，纤维素纳米纤维和纳米晶体具有纳米级的横向尺寸和从纳米到微米的长度。它们优异的机械性能部分归因于氢键形成的结晶组装。由于其丰富的表面羟基，它们可以很容易地与纳米粒子、（生物）聚合物、无机物或纳米碳结合，形成功能性纤维、薄膜、块状物质以及多孔气凝胶和泡沫。在这里，我们回顾了这个快速发展领域中在先进材料开发方面的一些最新进展。
