Nanocellulose: a promising nanomaterial for fabricating fluorescent composites

Nanocellulose (NC) is a new biomass nanomaterial with at least one dimension in the nanoscale, prepared from plant fibers, animal, and bacteria. Nanocellulose combines important cellulose properties with the features of nanomaterials and open new horizons for materials science and its applications, such as biomaterials, optoelectronic devices, magnetic and etc. Owing to particular structures, superb properties and natural abundance, Nanocellulose has been diffusely researched as critical ingredient in the design of aerogels, sensors, pharmaceuticals, chiral materials and catalysts. This review focuses on the preparation and applications of nanocellulose-based fluorescent materials. The first part begins with a brief introduction of the nanocellulose. Subsequently, the autofluorescence behavior of nanocellulose is thoroughly discussed. And a variety of methods that have been used to fabricate nanocellulose-based fluorescent materials are proposed. Then, the applications of nanocellulose-based fluorescent materials are introduced in the fields of biomedicine, environmental monitoring, anticounterfeiting, explosives, drug trace detection, and etc. Finally, the future development opportunities and challenges of nanocellulose-based fluorescent materials are prospected.