Cellulose Acetate-Based Nanofibers: Synthesis, Manufacturing, and Applications

In the world where plastic has now become a curse to the environment more than a benefit to society due to its non-degradable nature, biodegradable polymers are the only hope. Cellulose, chitosan, and lignin are some of the naturally abundant polymers that need the attention of researchers. The main drawback in biopolymers is the limited spinnability to form fibers to use them in various applications. However, cellulose can be converted to cellulose acetate (CA) by simple acetylation, which in turn becomes spinnable. Electrospinning is nowadays the most prominent technique that has been used for fabricating nanofibers from biopolymers including CA. The CA in form of nanofibers exhibits its importance in a vast field of applications such as drug delivery, antibacterial, sensor, wound dressing, and mechanical transducer due to its biocompatible nature, high porosity, ease of functionality, and high surface to volume ratio. Here, this chapter reports the most recent trends in synthesis and manufacturing of CA-based nanofibers, its composites, and their novel applications.