Multi-scaled regulation for cholesteric organization of cellulose nanocrystals based on internal and external factors.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), as one of the most promising bio-sourced materials, have been drawing increasing attention as they offer an attractive route for the rational design and sustainable manufacturing of photonic materials owing to their cholesteric self-assembly from the suspension to solid state. Such an organization process can be readily regulated depending on either internal factors or external forces. In this review, recent advances in the control over the self-assembly process and photonic organizations of CNCs are summarized.