Catalytic oxidation using TEMPO-mediated system has become one of the most promising procedures to convert polysaccharides into the corresponding polyuronic acids. This method is very suitable for selective oxidation of primary alcohol groups into aldehydes and/or carboxylic acid groups. The success of TEMPO-NaOCl-NaBr oxidation method to produce oxidized cellulose derivatives seems to depend on the accessibility and on the crystalline state of the starting cellulosic material. In this study we investigated the TEMPO mediated surface oxidation of cellulose whiskers. We produced controlled surface-oxidized cellulose nanocrystals which exhibit excellent colloidal behavior with liquid crystal properties. Our results are discussed in this communication. Figure: Aqueous suspensions of cellulose whiskers between crossed polarizers : (A) HCl hydrolyzed; (B) TEMPO mediated oxidized