A review of nanocellulose composite materials: Manufacturing, properties, applications, current challenges and future outlooks

This review research has focused on the state-of-the-art in nanocellulose composites, such as their inherent properties, various application areas, fabrication techniques, and ongoing challenges, along with future outlooks. The current research integrates its diverse sources and isolation methods, such as cellulose nanofibers, cellulose nanocrystals, and bacterial nanocellulose, and provides a detailed discussion of composite fabrication processes and surface functionalization strategies, unlike previous documented findings, which have focused mainly on specific nanocellulose types with their single application domains. Furthermore, it highlights the connection between the structural properties of nanocellulose and composite performance in a variety of applications, ranging from packaging and biomedical to sustainable building materials in a novel way. It has also assessed its present current challenges, such as the dispersion of nanocellulose in polymer matrices, the scalability of isolation procedures and issues with the functional composites' durability. Besides, by offering a thorough and integrative viewpoint that links fundamental nanocellulose science with next-generation composite material technologies, the review sets itself apart. It does this by combining recent developments and identifying knowledge gaps to propose possible innovative strategies for enhancing the sustainability and effectiveness of nanocellulose composite materials.