Research Progress in Nano-Cellulose Modification

As an environmentally friendly material prepared from renewable natural resources, nano-cellulose demonstrates excellent properties, including high crystallinity, high purity, high surface area, unique optical properties, and high Young's modulus. Furthermore, it has the advantages of bio-based materials such as light-weight, bio-degradable, bio-compatible, and renewable. Therefore, the nano-cellulose shows a great potential for developing new composite materials with high performances. This paper summarizes the ways for chemically modifying nano-cellulose to obtain better dispersion and improve its compatibility with nonpolar or hydrophobic matrices in nano-composites.