The recent interest in nanotechnology has triggered in micro/nanofibers of polymeric composite materials filled with nanosized rod-like particles. Cellulose is significantly used in applications such as reinforcement materials because the advantages of this polymer. Cellulose whiskers were prepared by conventional acid hydrolysis and utilized as reinforcements for polymer composite nanofibers. We present our work on fiber-based multifunctional materials including nanofibers obtained via electrospinning process in which polymer fibers are produced by attenuating of the stream fluid jet to a critical electric field. Such nanofibers are of potential value given the highly porous structures they form and their large surface to volume ratios which are often required in high-performance applications. We investigated the reinforcement efficiency of the obtained films and nanofibers. In spite of its abundance, the utilization of cellulose as a component in microcomposites is largely unexplored. Therefore, we also present our research on cellulose-based microstructures that may offer unique opportunities due to its high stiffness and strength as well as the possibility of subsequent surface chemical modification. Our studies involved first the isolation of cellulose whiskers from paper followed by the incorporation of cellulose whiskers in hydrophobic polymer matrices in order to tailor the functionalities and properties of the resulting composites. Thermal and mechanical testing of the composites films and nanofibers were carried out to analyze the performance of the composites. The results showed that a strong filler-polymer matrix interaction was developed during the electrospinning process between the whiskers and the polymer matrix. The main effect of the filler was a significant increased on the storage modulus for the composites nanofibers produced by electropinning process. Finally, cellulose filled polymer matrices were casted as composite films and electrospun nanofibers which were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as well as transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

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