Cellulose Nanocrystals/Graphene Hybrids—A Promising New Class of Materials for Advanced Applications

Abstract

With the growth of global fossil-based resource consumption and the environmental concern, there is an urgent need to develop sustainable and environmentally friendly materials, which exhibit promising properties and could maintain an acceptable level of performance to substitute the petroleum-based ones. As elite nanomaterials, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) derived from natural renewable resources, exhibit excellent physicochemical properties, biodegradability and biocompatibility and have attracted tremendous interest nowadays. Their combination with other nanomaterials such as graphene-based materials (GNM) has been revealed to be useful and generated new hybrid materials with fascinating physicochemical characteristics and performances. In this context, the review presented herein describes the quickly growing field of a new emerging generation of CNC/GNM hybrids, with a focus on strategies for their preparation and most relevant achievements. These hybrids showed great promise in a wide range of applications such as separation, energy storage, electronic, optic, biomedical, catalysis and food packaging. Some basic concepts and general background on the preparation of CNC and GNM as well as their key features are provided ahead.

Recent advancements in transparent carbon nanotube films: chemistry and imminent challenges

“…It may implement conduction roads over a larger area/unit mass compared to CNTs, that should turn in superior electrical performance on lesser optical thicknesses. The difficulty has been under grading up the mechanical splitting of graphite [199][200][201]. Individual film specimens are most frequently the outcome of a problematic peeling process, that is not scalable neither competent of generating consistent incorporations [202].…”

The Effects of Unbleached and Bleached Nanocellulose on the Thermal and Flammability of Polypropylene-Reinforced Kenaf Core Hybrid Polymer Bionanocomposites

“…Used petroleum-based polymers require hundreds of years to fully decompose [ 4 , 5 ]. This problem led to continuous global demand on improving living standards, which create the new development of technology based on renewable products [ 6 ]. Thus, natural fibers’ substitution as reinforcement over synthetic fibers in composite materials were seen to help in promoting environmental sustainability [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”

The Impact of Filler Geometry on Polylactic Acid-Based Sustainable Polymer Composites

“…In the plastics industry, the number of applications in which petroleum-derived plastics are replaced with biodegradable materials, also known as “green plastics”, has been rapidly growing. They are very often used in the form of biocomposites, where both the matrix and the filler are of natural origin [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. This is related not only to the increasingly restrictive legal requirements but also to the expectations regarding the reduction of pollution of the natural environment with waste, mainly plastic waste.…”