In recent years, the research on nanocellulose composites with polymers has made significant contributions to the development of functional and sustainable materials. This review outlines the chemistry of the interaction between the nanocellulose and the polymer matrix, along with the extent of the reinforcement in their nanocomposites. In order to fabricate well-defined nanocomposites, the type of nanomaterial and the selection of the polymer matrix are always crucial from the viewpoint of polymer–filler compatibility for the desired reinforcement and specific application. In this review, recent articles on polymer/nanocellulose composites were taken into account to provide a clear understanding on how to use the surface functionalities of nanocellulose and to choose the polymer matrix in order to produce the nanocomposite. Here, we considered cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) and cellulose nanofiber (CNF) as the nanocellulosic materials. A brief discussion on their synthesis and properties was also incorporated. This review, overall, is a guide to help in designing polymer/nanocellulose composites through the utilization of nanocellulose properties and the selection of functional polymers, paving the way to specific polymer–filler interaction.

Tailor-made poly(furfuryl methacrylate) (PFMA) was prepared via RAFT polymerization of furfuryl methacrylate (FMA) using ionic liquid (IL) as a solvent and 2-cyano-2-propyl dodecyl trithiocarbonate (CPDTC) as a RAFT reagent. The polymerization reaction was much faster in IL than the same reaction carried out in toluene. After the polymerization, the IL was recovered from the reaction mixture and recycled IL was successfully reused for the RAFT polymerization of FMA. The polymers were characterized by GPC, ¹H-NMR and MALDI-TOF-MS analyses. A thermoreversible functional polymer was prepared via the Diels–Alder (DA) and reverse (rDA) reaction between the PFMA and POSS maleimide isobutyl (POSS-M) and was studied by FT-IR and ¹H-NMR analyses. The DA polymer product showed a higher water contact angle (WCA) value of 103.1° reflecting the presence of hydrophobic POSS moieties and demonstrating hydrophobic characteristics of the modified functional polymer.

This investigation reports the preparation of amphiphilic block copolymer (Am-BCP) based on poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) and 2,2,3,3,4,4,4-heptafluorobutyl acrylate (HFBA) via RAFT polymerization. In this case poly(PEGMA) (PPEGMA) was prepared using 2-cyano-2-propyl dithiobenzoate (CPBT) as a RAFT agent. This PPEGMA was later used as a macro-RAFT agent for the polymerization of HFBA to prepare well-defined block copolymers (BCPs), (PPEGMA-b-PHFBA) of varied lengths and compositions. The BCPs self-assembled in aqueous solution to produce spherical micelles consisting of hydrophobic block PHFBA as a core and a hydrophilic block of PPEGMA as a flexible corona. This Am-BCP formed micelles of different sizes, as characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and TEM analyses. The Am-BCP was later used as a surf-RAFT agent i.e. as a surfactant as well as a macro-RAFT agent for the miniemulsion polymerization of styrene. TEM analysis showed that the synthesized polystyrene emulsion had a core–shell morphology. The particle size and particle size distributions of the polystyrene latex were determined by DLS analysis.