Plant‐Based Structures as an Opportunity to Engineer Optical Functions in Next‐Generation Light Management

Abstract

This review addresses the reconstruction of structural plant components (cellulose, lignin, and hemicelluloses) into materials displaying advanced optical properties. The strategies to isolate the main building blocks are discussed, and the effects of fibrillation, fibril alignment, densification, self‐assembly, surface‐patterning, and compositing are presented considering their role in engineering optical performance. Then, key elements that enable lignocellulosic to be translated into materials that present optical functionality, such as transparency, haze, reflectance, UV‐blocking, luminescence, and structural colors, are described. Mapping the optical landscape that is accessible from lignocellulosics is shown as an essential step toward their utilization in smart devices. Advanced materials built from sustainable resources, including those obtained from industrial or agricultural side streams, demonstrate enormous promise in optoelectronics due to their potentially lower cost, while meeting or even exceeding current demands in performance. The requirements are summarized for the production and application of plant‐based optically functional materials in different smart material applications and the review is concluded with a perspective about this active field of knowledge.

Current Development and Future Perspective on Natural Jute Fibers and Their Biocomposites

“…Success was made in developing Transparent jute fiber (TJF) from delignified jute fiber as a replacement for transparent wood as the TJF has the ability to match the properties of the transparent wood [ 124 ]. Owing to the processing simplicity and lower processing cost along with good optical and mechanical properties, the TJF might find applications in smart devices, for example, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and solar cells [ 125 ]. Multiple recyclable transparent film was also produced from waste jute fabrics using the ionic liquid (IL) assisted regeneration process [ 126 ].…”

Organic solvent-free production of colloidally stable spherical lignin nanoparticles at high mass concentrations

“…However, much more lignin could be isolated for the production of biobased materials and chemicals provided that the added value exceeds the investment and operation costs involved. This problem of limited market supply asks for development of functional and high-value materials 4,5 in parallel with high-volume lignin formulations. 6 The commercial success of lignosulfonates as dispersing agens and binders in versatile end-uses originates from their water-solubility and ability to act as macromolecular surfactants.…”

Design of experiments to investigate multi-additive cellulose nanocrystal films

“…The property space for nanocellulose-based films is large, especially when additives are included to tailor properties like optics or elasticity (Habibi et al, 2010;Kaschuk et al, 2022). Inevitably, a large property space requires a large experimental space to map.…”

“…Chiral nematic organization can be captured in films by evaporation (Revol et al, 1998), however the continual removal of water during film formation is non-equilibrium and not all films exhibit clear chiral nematic assembly. In the end, the overall mesoscale uniformity of a given film depends on different factors, most critically colloidal stability, with highly organized films as well as intermediate or mixed phase films reported in the literature (Kaschuk et al, 2022). Films are structure colored if the chiral nematic pitch coincides with visible light wavelengths, but can also be transparent or hazy (Kaschuk et al, 2022).…”

“…In the end, the overall mesoscale uniformity of a given film depends on different factors, most critically colloidal stability, with highly organized films as well as intermediate or mixed phase films reported in the literature (Kaschuk et al, 2022). Films are structure colored if the chiral nematic pitch coincides with visible light wavelengths, but can also be transparent or hazy (Kaschuk et al, 2022). Different additives have been included in CNC films to modify optical and tensile properties, often by influencing selfassembly and film formation (Mu and Gray, 2014;Bardet et al, 2015;Guidetti et al, 2016;de La Cruz et al, 2018;Xu et al, 2018;Adstedt et al, 2020;Jin et al, 2021).…”