Polymerizable deep eutectic solvent treated lignocellulose: Green strategy for synergetic production of tough strain sensing elastomers and nanocellulose

Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 Apr;264(Pt 2):130670. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.130670. Epub 2024 Mar 6.

Abstract

Liquid free ion-conductive elastomers (ICEs) have demonstrated promising potential in various advanced application scenarios including sensor, artificial skin, and human-machine interface. However, ICEs that synchronously possess toughness, adhesiveness, stability, and anti-bacterial capability are still difficult to achieve yet highly demanded. Here, a one-pot green and sustainable strategy was proposed to fabricate multifunctional ICEs by extracting non-cellulose components (mainly lignin and hemicellulose) from lignocellulose with polymerizable deep eutectic solvents (PDES) and the subsequent in-situ photo-polymerization process. Ascribing to the uniform dispersion of non-cellulose components in PDES, the resultant ICEs demonstrated promising mechanical strength (a tensile strength of ~1200 kPa), high toughness (~9.1 MJ m-3), favorable adhesion (a lap-shear strength up to ~61.5 kPa toward metal), conducive stabilities, and anti-bacterial capabilities. With the help of such advantages, the ICEs exhibited sensitive (a gauge factor of ~23.5) and stable (~4000 cycles) performances in human motion and physiological signal detection even under sub-zero temperatures (e.g., -20 °C). Besides, the residue cellulose can be mechanically isolated into nanoscale fibers, which matched the idea of green chemistry.

Keywords: Adhesion; Green chemistry; Human motion detection; ICEs; Toughness.

MeSH terms

  • Cellulose
  • Deep Eutectic Solvents*
  • Diethylstilbestrol / analogs & derivatives*
  • Elastomers
  • Humans
  • Lignin*

Substances

  • lignocellulose
  • Lignin
  • Deep Eutectic Solvents
  • diethylstilbestrol monophosphate
  • Cellulose
  • Elastomers
  • Diethylstilbestrol