Dendronization of cellulose nanowhisker with cationic hyperbranched dendritic polyamidoamine

•PAMAM was grown onto the surface of cellulose nanowhisker (CNW) by divergent method.•The grafting of PAMAM on CNW surface monitored using FTIR, 1H NMR, DLS and AFM.•Zeta-potential value of CNW-g-PAMAM was found to be around +25mV.•The hydrodynamic dimensions of the CNW-g-PAMAM (third generation) were 73nm by DLS. Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers with active amino group up to the third generation were grafted onto the surface of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) by a divergent method. Cellulose nanowhiskers (CNW) are gaining interest as a “green” nanomaterial with exceptional chemical and mechanical properties for high-performance nanocomposite materials. Cellulose nanowhiskers are usually isolated from cotton by sulfuric acid hydrolysis and hydrochloric acid hydrolysis. The grafting of PAMAM dendrimer on CNW surface was monitored using FTIR, 1H NMR, DLS and AFM. The results of FTIR and 1H NMR confirmed the formation of PAMAM on the CNW. AFM images indicated the PAMAM synthesis on CNW through the nano-scale structures of macromolecules. The Zeta-potential value of polymer was found to be around +25mV, and according to the collected data, the effective diameter of the CNW-g-PAMAM particles measured through DLS technique was found to be 73nm.