Nanocellulose is a fiber aggregate with a diameter of less than 100nm obtained by separation of natural cellulose. Cellulose is a macromolecular polysaccharide composed of glucose, which is the most widely distributed and content in nature. It is insoluble in water and general organic solution, and is the main component of plant cell wall. Nanocellulose refers to cellulose with a fiber diameter at the nanoscale. The fiber aggregate with a diameter of less than 100nm and a length of micron can be separated from natural fiber fibrils by chemical, physical, biological or a combination of several means. It is renewable, can be decomposed naturally and has stable chemical properties.

Compared with natural cellulose, nanocellulose has outstanding characteristics and excellent performance. As a representative of cellulose-based nanomaterials, nanocellulose retains the properties of natural cellulose, such as insoluble in water at room temperature, reactive with oxidants, and poor flexibility. Due to the small size of the nanocellulose particles, the nanocellulose particles have a large surface area and lack of coordination of adjacent atoms, showing high activity.

At the same time, due to the small size effect, that is, the size of the particles is small to the wavelength of the light wave, the de Broglie wavelength of the conduction electron and the coherent length transmission depth of the superconducting state, the periodic boundary conditions will be destroyed, and the thermal expansion coefficient of nanocellulose is low. At the same time, nano-cellulose also has the characteristics of high transparency, renewable, biodegradable, high barrier, high penetration, high rheology and so on.

Nanocellulose is rich in sources and has a wide range of downstream applications. Nanocellulose is rich in sources, which can be extracted from plants, animals and microorganisms. The common raw materials are wood, bagasse, straw, waste paper and so on. Due to the environmental protection and superior performance of nanocellulose, the application of this product in the fields of composite materials, paper products, 3D printing, biomedicine, cosmetics, wastewater treatment, energy and electronics is gradually deepening, and the future industry has great potential for development.

Cellulose nanofibers are mature and occupy 80% of the market. According to the different material sources, preparation methods and fiber morphology, nanocellulose can be divided into three categories: cellulose nanofibers (CNF), cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), and bacterial synthesized nanocellulose (BNC). Among them, cellulose nanofibers are the most mature products, accounting for 84% of the market in 2020. Natural fibers in nature can be used to produce CNF, and the most common technology is to put a new product made of cellulose nanofiber membrane into a wood pile and decompose it to get the product.