Cellulose Nanofibers: Applications

What is it about?

This short review is a chapter in Encyclopedia of Biomedical Polymers and Polymeric Biomaterials (1441-1452) published by Taylor and Francis. Cellulose nanofibers (CN) have gained increasing attention in the research and industrial community in the last 20 years. Obtained from renewable resources, CN are completely biodegradable and have reduced carbon dioxide emission in the environment. The great advantage of using cellulose nanofibers in different applications is related not only to the positive environmental impact they generate but also to their unique spectrum of properties. The most used methods to isolate cellulose nanofibers are briefly described and the biomedical applications of the different types of nanocellulose are reviewed. Particular attention was devoted to bacterial cellulose which can be considered as a biomaterial with a bright future in biomedicine due to its fine and pure fiber network structure, high crystallinity, high water-holding capacity, and good mechanical strength. These properties make bacterial cellulose a promising material for biomedicine for artificial skin, as a dura mater substitute, bone-healing applications, regeneration of cartilage and meniscus, blood vessel replacement, nerve regeneration, and drug delivery.

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