Assessing the ecotoxicological effects of novel cellulose nanocrystalline glitter compared to conventional polyethylene terephthalate glitter: Toxicity to springtails (Folsomia candida).

Glitter is a type of microplastic, and thus there is a need to assess its potential impacts on the environment and to assess the potential for non-plastic cellulose nanocrystal structurally colored glitters as safe and sustainable replacements. The ecotoxicity of glitter has been mostly ignored in the research literature, with only a few published studies focusing on aquatic organisms. Therefore, an exposure experiment was conducted to examine the impact of conventional polyethylene terephthalate (PET) glitter as well as untreated and heat-treated cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) based glitter on the survival, reproduction, and length of Folsomia candida (springtail).

Structural Color from Cellulose Nanocrystals or Chitin Nanocrystals: Self-Assembly, Optics, and Applications.

Widespread concerns over the impact of human activity on the environment have resulted in a desire to replace artificial functional materials with naturally derived alternatives. As such, polysaccharides are drawing increasing attention due to offering a renewable, biodegradable, and biocompatible feedstock for functional nanomaterials. In particular, nanocrystals of cellulose and chitin have emerged as versatile and sustainable building blocks for diverse applications, ranging from mechanical reinforcement to structural coloration.

Structurally Colored Radiative Cooling Cellulosic Films.

Daytime radiative cooling (DRC) materials offer a sustainable approach to thermal management by exploiting net positive heat transfer to deep space. While such materials typically have a white or mirror-like appearance to maximize solar reflection, extending the palette of available colors is required to promote their real-world utilization. However, the incorporation of conventional absorption-based colorants inevitably leads to solar heating, which counteracts any radiative cooling effect.

Large-scale fabrication of structurally coloured cellulose nanocrystal films and effect pigments.

Cellulose nanocrystals are renewable plant-based colloidal particles capable of forming photonic films by solvent-evaporation-driven self-assembly. So far, the cellulose nanocrystal self-assembly process has been studied only at a small scale, neglecting the limitations and challenges posed by the continuous deposition processes that are required to exploit this sustainable material in an industrial context. Here, we addressed these limitations by using roll-to-roll deposition to produce large-area photonic films, which required optimization of the formulation of the cellulose nanocrystal suspension and the deposition and drying conditions.