Cellulose from sources to nanocellulose and an overview of synthesis and properties of nanocellulose/zinc oxide nanocomposite materials

Recently, environmental and ecological concerns are increasing due to the usage of petroleum-based products so the synthesis of ultra-fine chemicals and functional materials from natural resources is drawing a tremendous level of attention. Nanocellulose, a unique and promising natural material extracted from native cellulose, may prove to be most ecofriendly materials that are technically and economically feasible in modern times, minimizing the pollution generation. Nanocellulose has gained tremendous attention for its use in various applications, due to its excellent special surface chemistry, physical properties, and remarkable biological properties (biodegradability, biocompatibility, and non-toxicity). Various types of nanocellulose, viz. cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs), cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), and bacterial nanocellulose (BNC), are deeply introduced and compared in this work in terms of sources, production, structures and properties. The metal and metal oxides especially zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are broadly used in various fields due to the diversity of functional properties such as antimicrobial and ultraviolet (UV) properties. Thus, the advancement of nanocellulose and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs)-based composites materials are summarized in this article in terms of the preparation methods and remarkable properties with the help of recent knowledge and significant findings (especially from the past six years reports). The nanocellulose materials complement zinc oxide nanoparticles, where they impart their functional properties to the nanoparticle composites. As a result hybrid nanocomposite containing nanocellulose/zinc oxide composite has shown excellent mechanical, UV barrier, and antibacterial properties. The nanocellulose based hybrid nanomaterials have huge potential applications in the area of food packaging, biopharmaceuticals, biomedical, and cosmetics. Thus the functional composite materials containing nanocellulose and zinc oxide will determine the potential biomedical application for nanocellulose.