Effect of different electronegative oxygen atoms of cellulose nanofibrils on the formation and photocatalytic property of ZnO/cellulose composite

[Display omitted] •The interfacial behavior between oxygen atoms and ZnO is investigated.•The electronegativity can facilitate the formation of high-quality ZnO nanoflowers.•The size/piece/thickness of ZnO will increase as the electronegativity increases.•The intense interaction between ZnO and ECNF can improve photocatalytic properties. Cellulose is widely employed as a template in supporting and dispersing ZnO. The oxygen atom of the hydroxyl (–OH) groups of cellulose have a significant impact on the morphology and photocatalytic property of ZnO. This work aims to investigate the effect of different electronegative oxygen atoms of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) on the formation and photocatalytic properties of ZnO/cellulose composites. The interaction between cellulose and ZnO has been achieved by controlling cellulose fiber size and regulating the electronegativity of oxygen atoms on the CNF surface. The results indicate that etherized CNF (ECNF) with the highest degree of etherification substitution (1.7) and the best electronegativity (−34.6 mV) can synthesize the ZnO/cellulose composite with the largest loading content of ZnO (58.9%) and the best photocatalytic activity for MO degradation (91.1%). It can be concluded that the intenser electrostatic interaction between oxygen atoms on the CNF surface and ZnO can facilitate the fixation and growth of more high-quality ZnO nanoflowers, thus improving the photocatalytic property. In a word, this work can provide a novel perspective for the efficient preparation of ZnO/cellulose composites with designable morphology and structure.