ABSTRACT
Cellulose is one of the most common natural polymers produced by plants, certain bacteria, algae, fungi, and so on (Klemm et al. 2005, 2011). As the most abundant renewable biomacromolecule, cellulose is a linear homopolymer generated from repeating anhydroglucose units that are joined together by β-1,4-glycosidic bonds (Figure 20.1a; Roy et al. 2009; Yokota et al. 2007). This inexpensive, renewable, and biodegradable material has attracted considerable attention because of its excellent physical and chemical properties. This is mainly due to its molecular structure, leading to a large number of hydroxyl groups on the surface of cellulose bers (Klemm 1999).
