Ecological, flexible and transparent cellulose-based substrates without post-production treatment for organic electronic devices

Abstract

In the past few decades, technological advances have aroused the interest of industries and consumers for exible electronic devices. However, the substrates currently used, such as glass and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), present problems regarding their performance and destination, since the rst is di cult to handle and the second comes from non-renewable sources. Common properties required in substrates to provide their use in organic electronics are exibility, stability and su cient transparency. Therefore, as a sustainable and e cient alternative, the present study aimed to develop a totally cellulose-based substrate, a natural abundant polymer that presents thermal stability, mechanical strength, recyclability and is biodegradable. It was produced different substrates using micro brils from Eucalyptus sp. A pure micro ber substrate weighing 25 g m -² was obtained by the vacuum ltration method and paper-forming machine. The other four substrates were obtained by the casting method containing cellulose acetate matrix and freeze-dried micro brils reinforcement at different concentrations. In addition, a substrate containing 1.0 % of the suspended micro brils as reinforcement in the cellulose acetate matrix was produced. A conductive thin lm of Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) was deposited by air-brush technique as an electrode to evaluate the electrical performance of the substrates. The obtained lms were characterized by their optical, thermal and morphological properties, showing a great potential to be used as substrate in organic electronic devices.

Mechanisms of methanol detection in graphene oxide and conductive polymer active layers for gas sensing devices

“…The inherent flexibility of these materials facilitates large-scale production through techniques like roll-to-roll, an industrial method that demands robust and flexible substrates. Consequently, these devices exhibit eco-friendliness and versatility, thanks to their plastic properties, lightweight nature, processability, and recyclability Carneiro et al (2023). These properties motivates the use of acetate as a flexible substrate for sensor fabrication in this study.…”