Rheology of Cellulosic Nanoparticles Suspensions and their Applied Importance in Viscoelastic Polymers

In addition to light weight, cellulose nanoparticles have advantages such as renewability, recyclability, processability, and biocompatibility. Films containing cellulose nanoparticles are used as coatings and intermediate layers in packaging products due to their good performance and oxygen barrier. Given its natural origin, it is obvious that the replacement of some synthetic reinforcements with these nanoparticles can reduce environmental pollution. The properties of cellulose nanoparticles can be determined by investigating the rheological properties of the nanoparticles gel. Suspensions containing cellulose nanoparticles are widely used in the pulp and paper industries as coatings, in composites, 3D printing, and as cellulose membranes. For these applications, suspensions of cellulose nanoparticles are exposed to shear forces. Therefore, having accurate knowledge of the rheological behavior of suspended cellulose nanoparticles under high shear force in relation to such industrial processes is essential. There have been many studies on the rheological properties of cellulose nanoparticles that provide information about the properties of these materials and their behavior during usage. In the present review, the rheological properties of cellulose nanoparticles and concepts such as linear viscoelastic, properties such as frequency dependent storage modulus/loss modulus, shear fow behavior indices such as apparent viscosity and shear stress as a function of shear rate are discussed.