A highly sensitive and tailorable pressure sensor is designed based on the variation of contact resistance between an Au covered micropillar array and a conductive polymer film. The sensitivity of such pressure sensors can be tuned from 0.03 kPa−1 to 17 kPa−1 at pressures less than 1 kPa, and a limit of detection of 2 Pa has been demonstrated.

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Poor cycling stability and safety concerns regarding lithium (Li) metal anodes are two major issues preventing the commercialization of high-energy density Li metal-based batteries. Herein, a novel tri-layer separator design that significantly enhances the cycling stability and safety of Li metal-based batteries is presented. A thin, thermally stable, flexible, and hydrophilic cellulose nanofiber layer, produced using a straightforward paper-making process, is directly laminated on each side of a plasma-treated polyethylene (PE) separator. The 2.5 µm thick, mesoporous (≈20 nm average pore size) cellulose nanofiber layer stabilizes the Li metal anodes by generating a uniform Li flux toward the electrode through its homogenous nanochannels, leading to improved cycling stability. As the tri-layer separator maintains its dimensional stability even at 200 °C when the internal PE layer is melted and blocks the ion transport through the separator, the separator also provides an effective thermal shutdown function. The present nanocellulose-based tri-layer separator design thus significantly facilitates the realization of high-energy density Li metal-based batteries.

Recent findings demonstrate that cellulose, a highly abundant, versatile, sustainable, and inexpensive material, can be used in the preparation of very stable and flexible electrochemical energy storage devices with high energy and power densities by using electrodes with high mass loadings, composed of conducting composites with high surface areas and thin layers of electroactive material, as well as cellulose‐based current collectors and functional separators. Close attention should, however, be paid to the properties of the cellulose (e.g., porosity, pore distribution, pore‐size distribution, and crystallinity). The manufacturing of cellulose‐based electrodes and all‐cellulose devices is also well‐suited for large‐scale production since it can be made using straightforward filtration‐based techniques or paper‐making approaches, as well as utilizing various printing techniques. Herein, the recent development and possibilities associated with the use of cellulose are discussed, regarding the manufacturing of electrochemical energy storage devices comprising electrodes with high energy and power densities and lightweight current collectors and functional separators.

A robust and compact freestanding conducting polymer-based electrode material based on nanocellulose coupled polypyrrole@graphene oxide paper is straightforwardly prepared via in situ polymerization for use in high-performance paper-based charge storage devices, exhibiting stable cycling over 16,000 cycles at 5 A g(-1) as well as the largest specific volumetric capacitance (198 F cm(-3)) so far reported for flexible polymer-based electrodes.

Fluorinated conjugated polymers have been widely used in high performance polymer solar cells, but they showed limited application in field-effect transistors (FETs). In this paper, we focus on the influence of fluorine atoms upon charge transport of conjugated polymers in FET devices. Two series of conjugated polymers without or with fluorine atoms were designed and applied into FETs. Nonfluorinated conjugated polymers show high hole mobilties up to 11.16 cm2 V–1 s–1, while fluorinated polymers exhibit low hole mobilities below 1.80 cm2 V–1 s–1. Further investigation by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and 2D grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (2D-GIWAXS) reveal that fluorinated conjugated polymers show low crystallinity and “face-on” orientation in thin films, explaining their poor hole mobilities in FET devices. Our results clearly show how the chemical structures influence the charge transport properties, which can be used to design new conjugated polymers toward high performance FETs.

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Because of its natural abundance, hierarchical fibrous structure, mechanical flexibility, potential for chemical modification, biocompatibility, renewability, and abundance, cellulose is one of the most promising green materials for a bio-based future and sustainable economy. Cellulose derived from wood or bacteria has dominated the industrial cellulose market and has been developed to produce a number of advanced materials for applications in energy storage, environmental, and biotechnology areas. However, Cladophora cellulose (CC) extracted from green algae has unprecedented advantages over those celluloses because of its high crystallinity (>95%), low moisture adsorption capacity, excellent solution processability, high porosity in the mesoporous range, and associated high specific surface area. The unique physical and chemical properties of CC can add new features to and enhance the performance of nanocellulose-based materials, and these attributes have attracted a great deal of research interest over the past decade. This Account summarizes our recent research on the preparation, characterization, functionalization, and versatile applications of CC. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the uniqueness of CC with respect to material structure, properties, and emerging applications. We discuss the potential of CC in energy storage, environmental science, and life science, with emphasis on applications in which its properties are superior to those of other nanocellulose forms. Specifically, we discuss the production of the first-ever paper battery based on CC. This battery has initiated a rising interest in the development of sustainable paper-based energy storage devices, where cellulose is used as a combined building block and binder for paper electrodes of various types in combination with carbon, conducting polymers, and other electroactive materials. High-activemass and high-mass-loading paper electrodes can be made in which the CC acts as a high-surface-area and porous substrate while a thin layer of electroactive material is coated on individual nanofibrils. We have shown that CC membranes can be used directly as battery separators because of their low moisture content, high mesoporosity, high thermal stability, and good electrolyte wettability. The safety, stability, and capacity of lithium-ion batteries can be enhanced simply by using CC-based separators. Moreover, the high chemical modifiability and adjustable porosity of dried CC papers allow them to be used as advanced membranes for environmental science (water and air purification, pollutant adsorption) and life science (virus isolation, protein recovery, hemodialysis, DNA extraction, bioactive substrates). Finally, we outline some concluding perspectives on the challenges and future directions of CC research with the aim to open up yet unexplored fields of use for this interesting material.