Cellulose Nanocrystals As Initiator of Ring-Opening Polymerization of Ε-Caprolactone: Mathematical Modeling and Experimental Verification

•Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) as initiator for ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-caprolactone (CL).•CNC contribute with 1/3 of their hydroxyl groups during the polymerization reaction.•Experimental results and computer simulation allows predicting characteristics of the polymer.