A review on cellulose nanocrystals as promising biocompounds for the synthesis of nanocomposite hydrogels

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2019Source: Carbohydrate PolymersAuthor(s): Jamileh Shojaeiarani, Dilpreet Bajwa, Alimohammad ShirzadifarABSTRACTHydrogels are hydrophilic cross-linked polymer networks formed via the simple reaction of one or more monomers with the ability to retain a significant extent of water. Owing to an increased demand for environmentally friendly, biodegradable, and biocompatible products, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with high hydrophilicity have emerged as a promising sustainable material for the formation of hydrogels. The cytocompatibility, swellability, and non-toxicity make CNC hydrogels of great interest in biomedical, biosensing, and wastewater treatment applications. There has been a considerable progress in the research of CNC hydrogels, as the number of scientific publications has exponentially increased (>600%) in the last five years. In this paper, recent progress in CNC hydrogels with particular emphasis on design, materials, and fabrication techniques to control hydrogel architecture, and advanced applications are discussed.
Source: Carbohydrate Polymers - Category: Biomedical Science Source Type: research