Cellulose Mineralization as a Route for Novel Functional Materials

Abstract Cellulose possesses excellent properties, but its performance characteristics do not satisfy human requirements completely, which has soured a constant effort to improve its features. Currently, cellulose is combined with inorganics in a process called mineralization that results in a novel type of materials referred to as bio‐nanocomposites. There are many examples of mineralized tissues with superior properties in living nature. This circumstance gives us a reason to biomimic them by compounding biopolymers with inorganics. Here, the main mineralization techniques, properties, structure, functionality, and application of mineralized cellulose are the focus. Cellulose can be combined with inorganics through the vapor phase or by the methods of wet chemistry. Much attention has been paid to sol–gel chemistry, which is of first importance in cellulose mineralization. Inorganics can protect polysaccharides, regulate hydrophilicity–hydrophobicity, and impart self‐cleaning, antimicrobial and conducting properties, which not only improves them but results in bio‐nanocomposites with novel functionalities and performance, not known before for cellulosic materials. Further calcination and carbonization of mineralized cellulose under mild conditions give nanosized metals, metal oxides, and their nanocomposites with carbon, which are often unavailable by conventional methods. Therefore, mineralization is used to develop innovative textiles, oil absorbent and oil/water separating membranes, catalysts and photocatalysts, solar cells, conductors, supercapacitors, transistors and batteries for flexible electronics, and energy storage devices. These nontraditional and highly promising areas for applications have caused an intense interest in cellulose that resembles its rediscovery.