Chapter 4: Cellulose Nanoparticle-based Flexible Advanced Materials

Nanotechnology is an interesting field which has a huge impact on humans. Nanoparticles (NPs) are key components of several nanotechnology techniques and have a wide range of applications including biomedical applications, aerospace, food technology, etc. Most of the NPs are prepared using metal or chemicals which may cause some health and environmental issues, therefore nowadays researchers are looking for greener pathways for the synthesis of NPs using techniques which are easier, safer, rapid, and low cost when compared with the already existing techniques. Recently, there has been increasing interest in the use of cellulose for the development of NPs as it is available in abundance and is biocompatible and biodegradable. Cellulose can also be modified and processed using various physical and/or chemical approaches. Therefore, NPs from cellulose, which is derived from plants, are preferred to metallic NPs, and also cellulose is used for green synthesis of a wide range of metallic (or their oxides) NPs. In this chapter, we have summarized the applications of cellulosic NPs in developing flexible advanced materials such as coatings, electrodes, electro-optic materials, etc.