Production methods and properties of nanocellulose

Celuloza je linearni biopolimer koji se prirodno nalazi u biljnim stanicama kao što su drvo, pamuk i lan. Posjeduje svojstva poput dobre biokompatibilnosti, niske cijene, visoke čvrstoće te dobrih mehaničkih svojstava. Njena vlakna mogu se mehaničkom ili kemijskom obradom prevesti u celulozne mikro/nanofibrile (MFC/NFC) ili celulozne nanokristale (CNC). Ova dva strukturna oblika posjeduju izvrsna svojstva u usporedbi s izvornim celuloznim vlaknima. Uz celulozne mikro/nanofibrile i nanokristale poznata je još i bakterijska nanoceluloza (BNC) čija se proizvodnja vrši uz pomoć mikroorganizama. Cilj ovog rada bio je opisati celulozu, njene izvore i supstrate, tehnike pripreme, svojstva i primjenu nanoceluloznih materijala te predstaviti nanocelulozu kao materijal nove generacije. Nanoceluloza u svojim različitim oblicima pokazuje sve veću mogućnost primjene poput medicinskih i higijenskih proizvoda, pakiranja, papira, kartona, prehrambene industrije, boja, kozmetike i optičkih senzora. Korištenje nanoceluloze i njezinih derivata u određenoj je mjeri ograničeno zbog početnih investicija te visokih troškova proizvodnje i ispitivanja. U novije se vrijeme sve više ubrzava istraživanje i razvoj nanoceluloznih materijala pa se u budućnosti očekuje još snažniji razvoj i jednostavnija te novčano isplativija proizvodnja.Cellulose is a linear biopolymer naturally found in plant cells such as wood, cotton and flax. It possesses properties of good biocompatibility, low cost, high strength and good mechanical properties. Cellulose fibres can be converted by mechanical or chemical processing into cellulose micro/nanofibrils (MFC/NFC) or cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). These two structural forms have excellent properties compared to the original cellulose fibres. Besides the cellular micro/nanofibrils and nanocrystals, the bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is known. The production of BNC is carried out by microorganisms. The aim of this paper was to describe cellulose, its sources and substrates, properties and preparation techniques as well as its application area and to introduce nanocellulose as a material of a new generation. Nanocellulose in its various forms demonstrates an increasing potential of applications such as medical and hygienic products, packaging, paper, cardboard, food industry, paints, cosmetics and optical sensors. The use of nanocellulose and its derivatives is, to some extent, limited by initial investment and high production and testing costs. More recently, the development of nanocellulose materials is accelerating and their easier, more cost-effective production is expected in the future