Current State of Applications of Nanocellulose in Flexible Energy and Electronic Devices

Otavio Augusto Titton Dias; Samir Konar; Alcides Lopes Leão; Weimin Yang; Jimi Tjong; Mohini Sain

doi:10.3389/fchem.2020.00420

Current State of Applications of Nanocellulose in Flexible Energy and Electronic Devices

Front Chem. 2020 May 21:8:420. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2020.00420. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Otavio Augusto Titton Dias¹, Samir Konar^{1

2}, Alcides Lopes Leão³, Weimin Yang⁴, Jimi Tjong^{1

2}, Mohini Sain^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Biocomposites and Biomaterials Processing, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
² Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
³ College of Agricultural Sciences, São Paulo State University (Unesp), São Paulo, Brazil.
⁴ College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Novel and unique applications of nanocellulose are largely driven by the functional attributes governed by its structural and physicochemical features including excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility. In recent years, thousands of groundbreaking works have helped in the development of targeted functional nanocellulose for conductive, optical, luminescent materials, and other applications. The growing demand for sustainable and renewable materials has led to the rapid development of greener methods for the design and fabrication of high-performance green nanomaterials with multiple features, and consequently new challenges and opportunities. The present review article discusses historical developments, various fabrication and functionalization methods, the current stage, and the prospects of flexible energy and hybrid electronics based on nanocellulose.

Keywords: cellulose nanocrystals; cellulose nanofibrils; conductive materials; energy storage device; films; hybrid materials; luminescent materials; nanocomposites.

Publication types

Review