Abstract
AbstractRenewable cellulose, the major structural component of plant cell walls, is one of the most abundant biopolymers on Earth, and exhibits many desirable properties including biodegradability, high stiffness, low inherent toxicity, and general compatibility with a plethora of biological tissues under many conditions. While these properties make cellulose appealing as a polymer, it is not melt‐ or solution‐processable due to its extensive inter‐ and intramolecular hydrogen bonding network that prevents softening or melting before decomposition. To circumvent this, cellulose can be converted into organic esters, generating a processable plastic material with the benefits inherent to cellulose. Organic cellulose esters have been commercially significant materials for over a century since their initial use as safety film to replace flammable nitrocellulose. Since then, the chemistry of cellulose esters has undergone dramatic growth, generating new cellulose derivatives with a wide range of properties, finding value in a wide variety of applications including industrial coatings, tissue engineering, drug delivery, optical materials, and biodegradable plastics. The polymer science of cellulose esters is an important, complex, and ever‐expanding field; herein, we will introduce and discuss the synthesis, characterization, structure–property relationships, and applications of organic cellulose esters.