The enormous attention and interest by both academics and industrial field for greener, biodegradable
and renewable materials implicate a persuasive trends towards the encroachment of nano-materials
science and technology in the polymer composite field. Nanocomposites creates high impacts on the
development of nano materials with advanced features to solve potential risks with their wider industrial
applications. Nano fibres are highly engineered fibres with diameters less than 100 nm that offer several
advantages over conventional fibres. One dimensional (1D) nanostructure fillers such as carbon nano
fibre and cellulose nano fibre are the most common, promising and unique for developing multifunctional
nanocomposites with better properties and extensive applications compared to micro size fibres. Nano
fibre technology brings revolution by providing products that are completely safe, truly greener, reliable
and environmentally friendly for industries, researchers and users. This review article is intended to
present valuable literature data on research and trend in the fields of carbon and cellulose nano fiber,
nanocomposites with specific focus on various applications for a sustainable and greener environment.
Cellulose I can be irreversible transformed into cellulose II via mercerisation or regeneration treatments.
In the past few decades, mercerisation was used mainly to improve fibre properties for textile industries.
A few studies have focused on the effects of mercerisation treatment on the cellulose polymorph itself
and after it was downscaled to nanosize. This study aims to characterise the micro size crystalline
cellulose after complete polymorph conversion via mercerisation technique and investigate its effects
on isolation to nanosize crystalline cellulose. A microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was purchased and
converted into cellulose II via mercerisation technique. Sulphuric acid hydrolysis was carried-out
to produce nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). The MCC and NCC of different polymorphs were then
characterised and analysed for its crystallography, morphology, particles size distribution and thermal
stability using wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WXRD), electron microscopes, dynamic light scattering
analyser and thermogravimetric analyser, respectively. Both MCC and NCC fibres showed complete
conversion of cellulose I to cellulose II and decrement of crystallinity index (CI). Electron micrographs
revealed that both cellulose II polymorph fibres (MCC II and NCC II) were morphological affected.
The analysis of size distribution and dimension
measurement confirmed that mercerisation
treatment causing increment in fibre diameter and
shortened length. The thermal stability of both
cellulose II polymorph fibres (MCC II and NCC
II) was also found to be improved.