Grafting polymers from cellulose nanocrystals via surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization

Abstract Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) are rod‐like nanoparticles extracted from cellulose. Due to their fascinating properties—renewable, biocompatible, non‐toxic, biodegradable, excellent mechanical performances, high specific surface area, water dispersible, can be assemble in chiral nematic phases—CNC have shown promise in various fields, including oil recovery, polymer composites reinforcing, hydrogels, aerogels, supercapacitors, energy saving buildings, cosmetics, papermaking, coatings, liquid crystals, and waste water treatment. However, the hydrophilic surface of CNC hinders their broader applications. In this context, surface modification of CNC via polymer grafting can be used to finely tune their surficial properties and endow CNC with a variety of functionalities, such as conductivity, pH or temperature responsiveness, reactivity…In particular, surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI‐ATRP) is a powerful tool to graft various polymers with a high grafting density and controlled chain length. In this review, the precise control of grafted polymers from CNC via SI‐ATRP is first discussed, including issues related to the polymer grafting density, chain length and possibility to perform an asymmetric grafting. Then, the properties and applications of CNC grafted with a variety of polymers are presented. Finally, some challenges and outlook related to the SI‐ATRP method applied to the field of CNC is discussed.