Advanced Flexible Materials from Nanocellulose

Abstract

With the increase of environmental pollution and depletion of fossil fuel resources, the utilization of renewable biomass resources for developing functional materials or fine chemicals is of great value and has attracted considerable attention. Nanocellulose, as a well-known renewable nanomaterial, is regarded as a promising nano building block for advanced functional materials owing to its unique structure and properties, as well as natural abundance. Typically, its high mechanical strength, structural flexibility, reinforcing capabilities, and tunable self-assembly behavior makes it highly attractive to fabricate flexible materials for various applications. Herein, the recent progress in the design, properties, and applications of advanced flexible materials from nanocellulose is comprehensively summarized. The preparation and properties of nanocellulose are first briefly introduced and discuss its merits in fabricating flexible materials. Then, various advanced flexible materials from nanocellulose are introduced, and the critical role of nanocellulose in constructing flexible materials is highlighted based on its intrinsic properties. After that, their applications in energy storage, electronics, sensor, biomedical, thermally insulating, photonic devices, etc., are presented. At last, the outlook of the current challenges and future perspectives for developing nanocellulose-derived flexible materials are discussed.

Mechanoresponsive Flexible Crystals

“…With highly ordered aggregation structure, flexible crystals might be engineered to exhibit fascinating optical, electrical, and mechanical properties, promising their potential flexible electronics and actuation applications. On account of the broad applications prospect in the fields of information sensing, − biomedicine, ,,− wearable devices, laser media, , fluorescence detection, renewable biomass resources development, etc., flexible crystals have attracted increasing attention from academia and industry.…”

When nanocellulose meets hydrogels: the exciting story of nanocellulose hydrogels taking flight

“…The stable structure and robust mechanical properties of nanocellulose hydrogels can ensure the reliability of sensors in various environments and reduce the loss in their performance caused by mechanical stress. 185,186 Moreover, the excellent dispersion property of nanocellulose facilitates the dispersion of conductive materials in the hydrogels, thereby further improving the sensitivity and response speed of the sensors. 187 Consequently, rationally designed nanocellulose hydrogels satisfy the sensor response sensitivity and precision criteria, providing a new option for the development of sensors.…”

Flexible and Simply Degradable MXene–Methylcellulose Piezoresistive Sensor for Human Motion Detection

“…Cellulose is one of the most abundant and renewable natural polymers in nature with superior biocompatibility, tunable surface chemistry, and excellent mechanical properties. , Different types of functionalized cellulose, such as regenerated cellulose, cellulose nanofibers (CNF), and hydroxyethyl cellulose, can be prepared accordingly. , Methylcellulose (MC) is a cellulose derivative obtained by grafting a methyl group onto a hydroxyl group of cellulose through etherification. Compared to other derivatives, MC has the advantages of low cost, good water solubility, excellent flexibility and curvature, and rapid biodegradation, which has been widely used in electronics such as electrochemical actuation and energy storage. − For example, Lim et al reported a multifunctional composite quasi-solid polymer electrolyte based on methylcellulose and LiCIO 4 salts, and the fabricated capacitors exhibited high specific capacitance and excellent cyclability .…”