Nanocellulose: a green, high-performance new material for new energy and flexible electronics fields

Nanocellulose (CNF) is a biomass nanomaterial prepared from natural plant fibers through nanodissociation. With its unique advantages such as high specific surface area, excellent mechanical strength, film-forming, modifiable, renewable, and biodegradable, it has shown great industrialization potential in new energy storage and flexible electronics. The long-lasting suspension effect of coffee powder that we demonstrate daily is the rheological properties brought about by the three-dimensional network structure of nanocellulose. In the new energy and flexible electronics scenarios, its high-strength film and porous network structure provide new material solutions for the new generation of low-carbon electronics and energy storage devices.

1. Application in the field of new energy storage

In the context of dual carbon, lithium batteries, sodium batteries, supercapacitors, perovskite photovoltaics and other industries continue to pursue higher safety, longer cycle life and lightweight. Nanocellulose, as a biomass functional material, achieves technological empowerment in separators, electrode substrates, solid electrolytes, photovoltaic substrates and other links.

1. Battery separator and separator coating

Traditional polyolefin lithium battery separators are prone to shrinkage at high temperatures, posing safety risks. The separator substrate or separator coating made of nanocellulose has excellent thermal stability and low dimensional shrinkage at high temperatures. It can effectively block the contact between the positive and negative electrodes and improve the bottom line of cell safety. At the same time, the porous network structure improves electrolyte wettability, reduces ion transmission resistance, improves rate performance, and extends battery cycle life. Can be adapted to lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries, and semi-solid battery systems.

2. Supercapacitor electrodes and gel electrolytes

Nanocellulose can be used as a flexible electrode skeleton and combined with conductive materials such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, and MXene to build a continuous porous conductive network. The material is thin and flexible, and the electrode structure is not easy to collapse under repeated bending conditions, making it suitable for the preparation of flexible solid-state supercapacitors. At the same time, nanocellulose hydrogel/ionic gel can be used as a solid electrolyte matrix to lock ionic liquids, inhibit electrolyte leakage, take into account mechanical toughness and ion conductivity, and meet the needs of wearable energy storage devices.

3. Perovskite solar cell substrate

Traditional flexible photovoltaic substrates are mostly petroleum-based plastic films. Nanocellulose transparent films have high light transmittance, low roughness, and good dimensional stability, and can be used as flexible substrates for perovskite cells. The material is biomass sourced and lightweight, and the device can be degraded after scrapping, reducing photovoltaic electronic waste and providing a sustainable solution for lightweight, flexible photovoltaic and portable power generation devices.

2. Application in the field of flexible electronics

The flexible electronics industry is developing rapidly. Wearable devices, flexible sensors, flexible displays, and flexible printed circuits all have requirements for base materials that are thin, bend-resistant, printable, and green. Nanocellulose film is an important green base material to replace petroleum-based polymer membranes.

1. Flexible device substrate (flexible sensor, flexible circuit)

The nanocellulose film has high modulus, good toughness, can be bent repeatedly, and has a smooth surface. It is compatible with conductive ink printing, film deposition, and micro-patterning processing processes. It can be used to prepare flexible pressure sensors, strain sensors, and physiological signal monitoring sensors (ECG, EMG sensing), and can be used in health monitoring wearable devices and human movement collection equipment. Different from plastic films such as PET, the nanocellulose substrate has degradable properties and can be naturally degraded after the device's life cycle, greatly reducing the environmental pressure caused by flexible electronic waste and in line with the direction of sustainable electronic development.

2. Flexible display and optoelectronic device substrates

Nanocellulose can produce highly transparent nanopaper with good optical uniformity and UV blocking properties, making it suitable for flexible optoelectronic devices and flexible display supporting substrates. The material is light and thin, enabling roll-to-roll processing, assisting the development of lightweight flexible optoelectronic products.

3. Summary of core material advantages

1. Green and sustainable : the raw materials come from agricultural and forestry biomass resources, which are renewable, and the end products are biodegradable, reducing the carbon footprint of the entire industry chain;

2. Outstanding mechanical properties : Nanofibers form a cross-linked network, and the film has high strength and toughness, and can withstand repeated bending and deformation;

3. The structure can be adjusted : through modification, the porosity, lyophilicity, and surface functional groups can be precisely controlled to adapt to different systems such as batteries, photovoltaics, and sensors;

4. Strong process compatibility : The water-based processing system is suitable for mainstream industrial processes such as coating, film forming, printing, and lamination, and is easy to implement in industrialization.

4. Outlook

Energy storage and flexible wearable electronics are the core tracks of the next generation of high-end equipment. Traditional petroleum-based materials face challenges such as environmental protection, carbon emissions, and waste disposal. Nanocellulose , as a nanomaterial derived from nature, opens up the application link from biomass raw materials to new energy and flexible electronic devices, while taking into account the performance of the device, it also achieves low-carbon materials. Relying on years of research accumulation in the direction of biomass nanomaterials, Nanjing Tianlu Nanotechnology Co., Ltd. continues to explore the modification and scenario-based application of nanocellulose, and optimizes processes according to the material needs of new energy and flexible electronics. We look forward to working with industry chain partners to jointly promote the implementation and innovation of new green materials.