Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-23-2026

Publication Source

Nanomaterials

Abstract

first_page settings Order Article Reprints Open AccessReview

Magnetic Cellulose Nanocrystal Composites: Synthesis, Properties, Applications, and Opportunities

by Mohammad Jahid Hasan 1,†, Kishore Chand 2,†, Esteban E. Ureña-Benavides 1 and Erick S. Vasquez-Guardado 2,3,*     1 Department of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA 2 Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Dayton, 300 College Park Ave., Dayton, OH 45469, USA 3 Hanley Sustainability Institute, University of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469, USA * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. † These authors contributed equally to this work. Nanomaterials 2026, 16(11), 645; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16110645 Submission received: 4 April 2026 / Revised: 12 May 2026 / Accepted: 16 May 2026 / Published: 22 May 2026 (This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Magnetic Nanoparticles: From Synthesis to Applications) Downloadkeyboard_arrow_down  Browse Figures   Versions Notes

Abstract

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are abundant, renewable, biodegradable, non-toxic, and cost-effective nanomaterials with exceptional properties, making them highly appealing for nanocomposite material fabrication. Recognized for their sustainability, CNCs are emerging as promising substrates for the fabrication of functional, stimuli-responsive nanomaterials. This review highlights nanocomposites comprising magnetic nanoparticles with various forms of cellulose-based materials, with a primary focus on magnetic cellulose nanocrystal (MCNC) composites, yielding materials capable of controlled, on-demand responses to external magnetic fields. The magnetic properties of these nanocomposites can be precisely tuned by adjusting the magnetic nanoparticle content on CNC surfaces. At the nanoscale, magnetic CNCs exhibit remarkable properties, including facile and rapid magnetic separation, which holds great potential for numerous applications. This review examines the latest synthesis and modification methods for CNCs functionalized with various magnetic nanoparticles, as well as their applications in the biological, packaging, environmental, and biomedical fields.

ISBN/ISSN

2079-4991

Document Version

Published Version

Comments

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16110645

Publisher

MDPI

Volume

16

Issue

11

Keywords

magnetic cellulose nanocrystals, cellulose nanocomposites, magnetic nanoparticles

Download

Share

COinS
 
 
 

Links