Interfacial interactions and electrospinning of cellulose nanocrystals dispersions in polymer solutions: a review

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with high specific surface area, crystallinity, aspect ratio with unique rod-like shapes, elastic modulus and tensile strength are an excellent additive which can be used for the preparation of unique polymer/nanoparticle fiber composites from polymer solutions by electrospinning. Research on electrospinning as a technique has grown rapidly since 1990 with the number of publications increasing exponentially after 2005. The sudden increase in academic interest after 2005 was due to the electrospinning of various numbers of nanoparticles for diverse applications, including CNCs from polymer solutions. Although there are many preparation options and potential applications for using CNCs in electrospinning, the role of processing variables and interfacial interactions between CNCs, solvents and polymers must be fully understood before the desired objectives can be achieved. Since one of the unique features of CNCs is their modifiable surface chemistry, there are promising outcomes when using CNCs by tailoring CNCs/solvent and CBCs/polymer interfaces. We present a discussion that helps to show the whole process, including variables, of using CNCs as an electrospinning additive nanoparticle. We also discuss the existing and potential applications with different set ups.