Fabrication of flexible AgNW/cellulose hybrid film with heat preservation and antibacterial properties for agriculture application

Abstract

In the view of sustainable development and environment protection, degradable agricultural lms with ondemand thermal insulation properties have attracted growing research interest in the last few decades due to the deteriorating environment and extreme climate on the growth and existence of crops. Here, a general strategy has been developed to fabricate degradable silver nanowires modi ed cellulose (AgNWs/cellulose) hybrid lm with controllable thermal insulation and antibacterial properties by using plant cellulose and AgNWs as building blocks, as well as their agriculture application. The results showed that the AgNWs were evenly dispersed in the three-dimensional grid of cellulose, formed a lm that could withstand a certain tensile force, and have good thermal stability. Due to the excellent electrical conductivity, the AgNWs/cellulose hybrid lms can provide excellent Joule heating, generating rapid thermal response and uniform electrical heating at a low supply voltage of 3 V for extra warmth. In the antibacterial tests against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, the AgNWs/cellulose hybrid lm exhibit large diameters of inhibition zones, revealing the high antibacterial activity. Additionally, the AgNWs/cellulose hybrid lms showed highly stretchable behavior by delivering a breaking strain of 1.5% with a tensile stress of 0.45 MPa owing to the cross-linked structures of cellulose and AgNWs. Based on the above properties, this study not only provides a potential strategy for the fabrication of exible and biodegradable agricultural lms but also may provide new insights for agricultural thermal management.

Research Progress on the Preparation of Flexible and Green Cellulose-Based Electrothermal Composites for Joule Heating Applications

“…AgNWs/cellulose hybrid films have the advantages of controllable heat insulation and antibacterial properties. 126 An insulation and root-zone heating system was designed by placing carbon crystal electrothermal films on the bottom of crops; this effectively increased the ambient temperature of the crops to cultivate high-quality crops (Figure 10b). 127 Limitations of this method include the high initial input costs and power consumption in root-zone heating systems based on carbon crystal electric heating films.…”

“…Cellulose, AgNWs, and film-forming solvents, such as PVA and PEG, have been used to prepare electrothermal agricultural films that can present a rapid thermal response and uniform electric heating at a low supply voltage of 3 V (Figure a). AgNWs/cellulose hybrid films have the advantages of controllable heat insulation and antibacterial properties . An insulation and root-zone heating system was designed by placing carbon crystal electrothermal films on the bottom of crops; this effectively increased the ambient temperature of the crops to cultivate high-quality crops (Figure b) .…”

“…(a) Heat preservation and antibacterial properties of AgNWs/cellulose hybrid film. (Panels a) Reprinted with permission from ref . Copyright 2021 Springer Nature.…”

Preparation and characterization of green‐based anti‐ultraviolet and antidripping biodegradable film

“…In areas with high UV intensity, such as plateau areas (Xinjiang and Tibet in China), agricultural films usually require stronger UV aging resistance to be more conducive to plant growth. 15,16 Generally, a certain amount of UV resistant additives such as UV-531 and UV-P can be added to increase the aging resistance. 17,18 In this paper, the green bio-functional plastic based on PBAT can be obtained by adding different functional and natural additives as the agents.…”

Hierarchically Nanostructured Janus Membranes Toward Sustainable and Efficient Solar‐to‐Thermal Management

“…[6][7][8] Since diverse heaters are alternatively implemented to elevate the temperature, there are some concerns of economy and ecological environment, such as the huge consumption of fossil fuels or power energy. [9][10][11][12][13][14] Besides, the latest statistics shows that ≈68% of the world's population is estimated to be in urban areas by 2050, leading to diminishing agricultural lands, heavy burden on food supplies and limited energy. [15][16][17] Alternatively, the development of urban agriculture targeted as high-efficient utilization of resource is expected to be a promising solution.…”