Processing Aspects and Biomedical and Environmental Applications of Sustainable Nanocomposites Containing Nanofillers

The development of sustainable products based on eco-composites using natural resources, agro-wastes or cellulosic fibers are among effective strategies for waste recycling, environmental remediation, and conversion into value-added products. Composite materials based on polymer have increasingly replaced the metals and ceramics-based composite due to the low cost and ease of processability, with wide-ranging tunable properties and amenability to changes for specific applications, through the use of additives in the form of fillers, lamina, fibers, flakes, and particles. Nanofillers incorporated within the matrix of nanocomposites dramatically alter the chemical, physical and mechanical properties. These are dependant upon factors such as the processing techniques, the interaction between the nanofillers and the matrix, and the distribution and dispersion of the nano-fillers. In this review article, the processing aspects of the composite materials based on cellulose, chitosan, and magnetic nanocomposites are discussed. The applications in drug delivery, tissue engineering, biosensor, electrically conductive polymer and insulators, and the green catalysis and environmental remediation are highlighted.