Abstract:
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) is a kind of nanocellulose with high crystallinity, which is prepared by the acid hydrolysis of natural cellulose. CNC can form iridescent films with chiral nematic liquid crystal phase through evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA). The preparation process of CNC is simple, and CNC has biological sustainability and inherent chiral nematic structure that shows unique optical properties. Advanced optical materials can be prepared by co-assembling CNC as chiral templates with polymers or inorganic materials, which has a broad application prospect in the fields of sensors, photoelectric devices, and intelligent display. The preparation of CNC, the formation of chiral structure and the study of CNC as template are introduced in this paper, and the application status of CNC in the preparation fields of ordered mesoporous materials, functional nanocomposite membranes and new optical materials are briefly reviewed. Finally, some problems in the preparation and application of CNC chiral materials are summarized, which is expected to provide reference for the application of CNC chiral materials in the future.