Functionalization of cellulose nanocrystal films via thiol-ene click reaction

Functionalized cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) films were prepared by a combination of alkoxysilane chemistry and photochemical thiol-ene click reaction. The products were characterized by ATR-IR, solid-state NMR, ultraviolet-visible absorbance, fluorescence spectroscopy, elemental analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The methodology allows facile functionalization of cellulose under mild conditions.