Bacterial Cellulose and its Use in Renewable Composites

Bacterial cellulose is a very pure form of cellulose that has high strength, is composed of nanosized fibers and is very hydrophilic. It has been suggested that this material could be used as a biodegradable filler in fully biodegradable composites. There are a wide range of methods that have been used to produce and modify bacterial cellulose, allowing the potential to achieve specific properties. There have been some reports of bacterial cellulose used in composite materials, however, it is oft en difficult to achieve even dispersions of cellulose fibers, and thus its use as a filler in composites has been limited. The discovery of ionic liquids that are capable of dissolving this typically insoluble material may allow the development of more possible processing options. Therefore further investigations into all aspects of this material are necessary.