The delivery of diltiazem hydrochloride in therapeutical doses has attracted an immense research interest. However, its slower penetration through the transdermal route has stipulated to develop a competent transdermal membrane. Therefore, a nanocomposite based patch was formulated by exploring co-polymer and jute derived nano-cellulose. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) was grafted into guar gum (GG-g-PNIPAAm) with different feeding ratios. The co-polymer formation was authenticated by FTIR and 13C NMR spectra. The nanocomposite were prepared by incorporating nanofibre (0.5-2 wt%) into GG-g-PNIPAAm. The structural and morphological studies supported good interactions and presence of nano-cellulose on co-polymer. GG-g-PNIPAAm has showed higher thermostability than guar gum. Moreover, the addition of CNF has improved the thermo-mechanical and barrier properties of the nanocomposite. The nanocomposite containing 1 wt% CNF was found to be best performing. The patch showed in-vitro cyto-compatibility and non-irritant behaviour. The in-vitro release study of best nanocomposite revealed controlled drug release capability with 7.78 and 22.9% after 5 and 20 h, respectively. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.