As an emerging nanofiber material, nanocellulose not only retains the properties of cellulose itself, but also has the properties of nanomaterials, with excellent mechanical and mechanical properties and practicality. The characteristics of nanocellulose materials, includ_x005fing high specific surface area, tunable properties and biocompatibility, as well as the diversity of preparation methods, are introduced in the section of properties and preparation methods. The applications of nanocellulose materials in functional membrane technologies such as microfiltration and reverse osmosis membranes are then discussed. The importance of research directions such as multi-scale structure design and multifunctional composite membrane development is emphasized. However, the application of nanocellulose materials still faces some challenges, such as persistence of anti-pollution properties, material stability and durability. Solutions are proposed for these challenges, such as the development of self-cleaning materials, high temperature resistant materials, etc. The application of nanocellulose materials in the field of functional membrane technology is promising, and their properties and preparation methods make them a strong candidate for functional membrane materials.