Chapter 18: Cellulose Nanoparticle-based Advanced Materials for Optical Sensors Technology and Applications

Nano-sized cellulose materials have recently become topical in the sphere of sustainable materials. The two groups of nanocelluloses (NCs) are (1) nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) and (2) cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). Nanocellulose (NC) is one of the most interesting nature-based nanomaterials and is attracting attention in a myriad of fields such as biomaterials, engineering, biomedicine, opto/electronic devices, nanocomposites, textiles, cosmetics, and food products. Moreover, NC offers properties, including inherent renewability, biodegradability, commercial availability, flexibility, printability, low density, high porosity, optical transparency, as well as extraordinary mechanical, thermal, and physicochemical properties. In this chapter, we highlight how NC is being tailored and applied in (bio)sensing technology, with the results aimed at displaying analytical information related to various fields such as clinical/medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, food safety, physical/mechanical sensing, labeling, and bioimaging applications.