Nanocellulose: A New Biopolymer for Biomedical Application

International audienceOn one side, growing environmental concerns about fossil resources depletion and their impact on our ecosystems leaves mankind with no choice but to increase the use of alternative raw materials. Nature-derived polymers, or so-called biobased polymers or biopolymers, are nowadays more and more investigated to replace traditional polymers and open new research perspectives due to their specific properties. On the other side, aging population and increasing incidence of chronic diseases and disabilities require permanent efforts to develop innovative medical care products. This chapter focuses on the synergies that are born to address those two challenges. Past and current trends in the use of biopolymers for medical care applications are described with a focus on cellulose under its different forms and derivatives. Among them, nanocellulose has been tremendously investigated by the scientific community in the past two decades. Its two main identified families, namely, cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), are described in this chapter. Their origin and their lab-scale and industrial production processes as well as health and toxicology aspects will be addressed. CNF use for medical care product development is finally presented