SUCCeSS Directors have written a Perspective in Chem

The Perspective summaries progress in the use of nanocellulose in organic synthesis, with an outlook to recent applications in mechanochemistry. It is a perfect example of interdisciplinary research showcasing how organic synthesis meets materials science to adopt a new sustainable concept of valorizing forest materials in a sustainable low carbon footprint organic synthesis.

Nanocellulose is a low-toxic biomaterial that can be extracted in high yields from various natural resources. Despite its common uses in water purification, papermaking, packaging, sensors, medicine, emulsifiers and nanocomposites among others; nanocellulose has the potential to be exploited as reaction medium, support and catalyst in organic synthesis reactions.
Nanocellulose has a tunable surface chemistry and many reactive sites, and many functionalities can co-exist at the same time.

While non-modified nanocellulose has been used as catalyst in organic reactions, chemical modifications of the surface enable a much richer palette of functionalities that can be utilised in organic synthesis. Modifications include the attachment of metals or organometallic complexes, photocatalysis or organic acids or bases.

In addition, it vas recently reported that nanocellulose can be used as medium, support or catalyst in organic synthesis under mechanochemical conditions. This field is still in its infancy, and the exact mechanism of the mechanochemical assistance of nanocellulose in organic synthesis is not understood. The SUCCeSS authors foresee that solvent-free organic synthesis supported by biobased resources can be an important step towards more sustainable synthetic pathways, and aim to investigate the recycling of nanocellulose and usage in large-scale applications remain in the coming years.

Stay tuned for more SUCCeSS-affiliated publications!

Authors: Sayad Doobary, Varvara Apostolopoulou-Kalkavoura, Aji P. Mathew, Berit Olofsson

Read the full article

Theme

Last updated: October 25, 2024

Source: SUCCeSS

{ "dimensions": [ { "id": "department.categorydimension.subject", "name": "Global categories", "enumerable": true, "entities": [], "localizations": {} }, { "id": "department.categorydimension.tag.Keywords", "name": "Keywords", "enumerable": false, "entities": [], "localizations": {} }, { "id": "department.categorydimension.tag.Person", "name": "Person", "enumerable": false, "entities": [], "localizations": {} }, { "id": "department.categorydimension.tag.Tag", "name": "Tag", "enumerable": false, "entities": [], "localizations": {} }, { "id": "webb2021.categorydimension.Category", "name": "Globala kategorier Nyheter (Webb 2021)", "enumerable": true, "entities": [], "localizations": {} }, { "id": "webb2021.categorydimension.Label", "name": "Tema (Webb 2021)", "enumerable": true, "entities": [], "localizations": {} }, { "id": "webb2021.categorydimension.Label.en", "name": "Themes (Webb 2021)", "enumerable": true, "entities": [ { "id": "webb2021.categorydimension.Label.en.Green", "name": "Sustainable Chemistry", "entities": [], "attributes": [], "childrenOmitted": false, "localizations": {} }, { "id": "webb2021.categorydimension.Label.en.Chem", "name": "Chemistry", "entities": [], "attributes": [], "childrenOmitted": false, "localizations": {} }, { "id": "webb2021.categorydimension.Label.en.ClimateEnv", "name": "Climate and Environment", "entities": [], "attributes": [], "childrenOmitted": false, "localizations": {} } ], "localizations": {} }, { "id": "webb2021.categorydimension.Keyword", "name": "Keywords (Webb 2021)", "enumerable": false, "entities": [], "localizations": {} } ] }