Preparation, Modification, and Applications of Chitin Nanowhiskers: a Review

This paper provides an overview of the most up-to-date information available relating to chitin nanowhiskers. This paper presents aspects about chitin nanowhiskers, including methods of extraction and preparation, chemical modification and applications. Chitin nanowhiskers can be obtained by hydrochloric acid hydrolysis, TEMPO-mediated oxidation, partial deacetylation with NaOH by fibril surface cationization, ultrasonication, electrospinning, aqueous counter collision treatment, a simple grinding treatment and gelation with 1-allyl-3methylimidazolium bromide. An introduction into the methods used to prepare chitin nanowhiskers is given. The chitin nanowhiskers applications are used mainly as reinforcing polymer nanocomposites, but also to prepare scaffolds, hydrogels and wound dressings, as adsorbents in industry, water purification, for protein immobilization, transformation of bacteria by exogenous genes, stabilization of oil-in-water emulsion and nematic gels, formation of CaCO3/chitin-whisker hybrids and as carbon precursors.