Focus on Cellulosic Materials: from Nanocomposites to Trees

Cellulose is a natural, biodegradable material, making it an attractive component for incorporation into nanocomposites. However, achieving uniform dispersion remains a major challenge, and chemical modification strategies can be complex and significantly increase processing costs. Here, we discuss several alternative approaches in which surface and interfacial energy considerations are used to simplify processing. These strategies enable the development of cellulose-based materials for diverse applications, including flame-retardant coatings that can be sprayed onto foliage or incorporated into textiles, ductile nanocomposites suitable for fused deposition modeling (FDM) printing1 and low-cost ion-conducting films for hydrogen fuel cells2.

1. Yichen Guo, et al “Engineering flame retardant biodegradable polymer nanocomposites and their application in 3D printing”, Polymer Degradation and Stability,137 (2017)205

2. Aniket Raut, et al “Designing a micro-cellulose membrane for hydrogen fuel cells” RSC Sustainability, 3 (2025)3025