Functional Materials from Liquid Crystalline Cellulose Derivatives: Synthetic Routes, Characterization and Applications

Cellulose is a linear syndiotactic homopolymer composed of d-anhydroglucopyranose units which are linked by β-(1 → 4)-glycosidic bonds. The primary and secondary free hydroxyl groups, which decorate the polysaccharide chains, can undergo chemical substitution given rise to a high range of cellulose derivatives. It is well known that cellulose derivatives are at the origin of films and fibers, which characteristics can be diverse if prepared from liquid crystalline phases.