Advances in cellulose ester performance and application

In this review, we examine those areas of cellulose ester application in which there has been the greatest recent activity, and we choose to define the word ‘recent’ to include roughly the last 20 years. We focus on work that increases understanding of cellulose ester structure-property relationships, as well as how they relate to performance in specific applications. Our focus is on the performance of cellulose esters in modern coatings, controlled release of actives, plastics (with particular focus on biodegradable plastics), composites and laminates, optical films, and membranes and related separation media. We think that the review will prove useful to those who work with cellulose esters in these and related applications, as well as those who may wish to use this background to help them imagine new ones.