(694c) Hairy Cellulose Nanocrystals: An Emerging Class of Nanocelluloses for Advanced Industrial Applications

For decades, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have been produced by hydrolyzing the amorphous regions of hierarchical cellulose fiber structures. These colloidal particles are made up of highly ordered arrays of cellulose chains, impeding the physicochemical modifications of inner crystalline layers, which in turn result in limited/compromised dispersion stability, functionalizability and charge, response to external fields, and transport. Nanoengineering cellulose fibrils via controlled oxidation partially disintegrates the amorphous cellulose chains attached to the crystalline body, which yields Janus-like nanoparticles with a needle-shaped crystalline body (similar to CNCs) sandwiched between two highly functionalized disordered cellulose regions (hairs). This newly emerged class of nanocelluloses are called hairy cellulose nanocrystals (HCNC). The protruding soft brushes from HCNC poles impart significant modifications to the colloidal properties of HCNCs, enhancing their functionality, charge density, stability, and self-assembly. In this presentation, we will review our recent progress in engineering HCNCs for advanced applications, such as water treatment, scale inhibition, biomimetic mineralization, rheology modification, nanocomposites, hydrogels, and so forth. We will show how HCNCs enable several technologies that would otherwise be impossible to develop using conventional CNCs. The outcome of our research may leverage universal biomass-based sustainable, green solutions for long-lasting industrial challenges in water, healthcare, food, and energy sectors.