In this report, hierarchical ZnO nano- and microstructures were directly grown for the first time on a bacterial cellulose substrate and on two additional different papers by hydrothermal synthesis without any surface modification layer. Compactness and smoothness of the substrates are two important parameters that allow the growth of oriented structures.
Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) offer the potential for ultralow cost mass-producible photovoltaic devices. Other advantages are light weight and good mechanical flexibility. To further reduce the cost, the replacement of the conventional conducting substrates for cellulose is an interesting choice. There are three main types of nanocellulose materials: nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), nanocrystalline cellulose (CNC), and bacterial nanocellulose. In this work, the synthesis of two types of nanocellulose substrates and their application in OPVs were achieved. For the first time, the different properties of the cellulose substrates and their influence on the OPV performance were addressed. The nanocellulose substrates CNC and NFC were characterized by XRD, AFM, and DSC. CNC films were more homogeneous, smoother, crystalline and with low roughness. Thus, when comparing the cellulosic substrates, the best device the one based on CNC. The PCE values of the inverted OPV cells were 3.0, 1.4, and 0.5% on to glass, CNC and NFC substrates
Nanocellulose
is a promising material for fabricating green, biocompatible,
flexible, and foldable devices. One of the main issues of using nanocellulose
as a fundamental component for wearable electronics is the influence
of environmental conditions on it. The water adsorption promotes the
swelling of nanopaper substrates, which directly affects the devices’
electrical properties prepared on/with it. Here, plant-based nanocellulose
substrates, and ink composites deposited on them, are chemically modified
using hexamethyldisilazane to enhance the system’s hydrophobicity.
After the treatment, the electrical properties of the devices exhibit
stable operation under humidity levels around 95%. Such stability
demonstrates that the hexamethyldisilazane modification substantially
suppresses the water adsorption on fundamental device structures,
namely, substrate plus conducting ink. These results attest to the
robustness necessary to use nanocellulose as a key material in wearable
devices such as electronic skins and tattoos and contribute to the
worldwide efforts to create biodegradable devices engineered in a
more deterministic fashion.
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