Engineering Functional Nanocellulose Materials

The environmental impact of petroleum-based plastics has driven interest in sustainable alternatives like cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), which offer excellent transparency and stiffness but suffer from brittleness, poor barrier properties and instability in humid conditions. This thesis explores four modification strategies to enhance CNC films. Cellulose nanofibrils and maltitol improve flexibility, while maltitol also enhances barrier performance. Crosslinking with malonic acid and vitrimer integration were studied; malonic acid did not improve stability or barrier properties due to CNC self-assembly alterations, while vitrimer integration enhanced moisture stability and introduced new functionalities. This research advances CNC films for packaging, coatings, and various applications.