Photonic and Semiconductor Materials Based on Cellulose Nanocrystals

Biomass 3D Printing: Principles, Materials, Post-Processing and Applications

Under the background of green and low-carbon era, efficiently utilization of renewable biomass materials is one of the important choices to promote ecologically sustainable development. Accordingly, 3D printing is an advanced manufacturing technology with low energy consumption, high efficiency, and easy customization. Biomass 3D printing technology has attracted more and more attentions recently in materials area. This paper mainly reviewed six common 3D printing technologies for biomass additive manufacturing, including Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), Direct Ink Writing (DIW), Stereo Lithography Appearance (SLA), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) and Liquid Deposition Molding (LDM). A systematic summary and detailed discussion were conducted on the printing principles, common materials, technical progress, post-processing and related applications of typical biomass 3D printing technologies. Expanding the availability of biomass resources, enriching the printing technology and promoting its application was proposed to be the main developing directions of biomass 3D printing in the future. It is believed that the combination of abundant biomass feedstocks and advanced 3D printing technology will provide a green, low-carbon and efficient way for the sustainable development of materials manufacturing industry.

A Review on the Modification of Cellulose and Its Applications

The latest advancements in cellulose and its derivatives are the subject of this study. We summarize the characteristics, modifications, applications, and properties of cellulose. Here, we discuss new breakthroughs in modified cellulose that allow for enhanced control. In addition to standard approaches, improvements in different techniques employed for cellulose and its derivatives are the subject of this review. The various strategies for synthetic polymers are also discussed. The recent advancements in polymer production allow for more precise control, and make it possible to make functional celluloses with better physical qualities. For sustainability and environmental preservation, the development of cellulose green processing is the most abundant renewable substance in nature. The discovery of cellulose disintegration opens up new possibilities for sustainable techniques. Based on the review of recent scientific literature, we believe that additional chemical units of cellulose solubility should be used. This evaluation will evaluate the sustainability of biomass and processing the greenness for the long term. It appears not only crucial to dissolution, but also to the greenness of any process.

Thermoresponsive Nanocellulose Films as an Optical Modulation Device: Proof-of-Concept

Flexible optoelectronic technologies are becoming increasingly important with the advent of concepts such as smart-built environments and wearable systems, where they have found applications in displays, sensing, healthcare, and energy harvesting. Parallelly, there is also a need to make these innovations environmentally sustainable by design. In the present work, we employ nanocellulose and its excellent film-forming properties as a basis to develop a green flexible photonic device for sensing applications. Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were used as matrix materials along with a black thermochromic pigment to prepare thermoresponsive hybrid films. Optical properties of nanocellulose films such as transparency and haze were tuned by varying pigment loading. Nearly 90% transparent CNF and CNC films could be tuned to reduce the transmission to as low as 4 and 17%, respectively. However, the films regained transparency to up to 60% when heated above the thermochromic transition temperature (31 °C). The thermoresponsive behavior of the prepared films was exploited to demonstrate an all-optical modulation device. Continuous infrared light (1300 nm) was modulated by using a 660 nm visible diode laser. The laser intensity was sufficient to cause a localized thermochromic transition in the films. The laser was pulsed at 0.3 Hz and a uniform cyclic modulation depth of 0.3 dB was achieved. The demonstrated application of functional nanocellulose hybrid films as a light switch (modulator) could be harnessed in various thermally stimulated sensing systems such as temperature monitoring, energy-saving, and anti-counterfeiting.

Structural Colors by Synergistic Birefringence and Surface Plasmon Resonance

One-dimensional nanomaterials including cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and gold nanorods (GNRs) are widely used in optical materials due to their respective inherent features: birefringence with accompanying light retardation and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Herein, we successfully combine these properties of both nanorods to generate synergistic and readily tunable structural colors in hybrid composite polymer films. CNCs and GNRs are embedded either in the same or in separate films after unidirectional alignment in dynamic hydrogels. By synergistically leveraging CNCs and GNRs with diverse amounts in hybrid films or stacked separate films, wide-ranging structural colors are obtained, far beyond those from films solely with aligned CNCs or GNRs. Higher GNR contents enhance light absorption at 520 nm with promoted magenta colors, while more CNCs affect the overall phase retardation with light absorption between 400 and 700 nm between crossed polarizers. Moreover, adjusting the angles between films solely with CNCs or GNRs via a stacking/rotating technique successively manipulates colors with flexible film combinations. By rotating the films with aligned GNRs (0-180°), light absorption can traverse from ∼500 to 650 nm. Thus, tuning the adjustable synergism of birefringence of CNCs and SPR of GNRs provides great potential for structural colors, which enlightens inspirations for designing functional optical materials.

Advanced Materials through Assembly of Nanocelluloses

There is an emerging quest for lightweight materials with excellent mechanical properties and economic production, while still being sustainable and functionalizable. They could form the basis of the future bioeconomy for energy and material efficiency. Cellulose has long been recognized as an abundant polymer. Modified celluloses were, in fact, among the first polymers used in technical applications; however, they were later replaced by petroleum-based synthetic polymers. Currently, there is a resurgence of interest to utilize renewable resources, where cellulose is foreseen to make again a major impact, this time in the development of advanced materials. This is because of its availability and properties, as well as economic and sustainable production. Among cellulose-based structures, cellulose nanofibrils and nanocrystals display nanoscale lateral dimensions and lengths ranging from nanometers to micrometers. Their excellent mechanical properties are, in part, due to their crystalline assembly via hydrogen bonds. Owing to their abundant surface hydroxyl groups, they can be easily modified with nanoparticles, (bio)polymers, inorganics, or nanocarbons to form functional fibers, films, bulk matter, and porous aerogels and foams. Here, some of the recent progress in the development of advanced materials within this rapidly growing field is reviewed.

Rapidly Responsive and Flexible Chiral Nematic Cellulose Nanocrystal Composites as Multifunctional Rewritable Photonic Papers with Eco-Friendly Inks

Rapidly responsive and flexible photonic papers are manufactured by coassembly of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and waterborne polyurethane (WPU) latex for fully taking advantage of the chiral nematic structure of CNCs and the flexibility of WPU elastomer. The resulting CNC/WPU composite papers exhibit not only tunable iridescent colors by adjusting the helical pitch size, but also instant optical responses to water and wet gas, ascribed to the easy chain movement of the elastomeric WPU that does not restrict the fast water absorption-induced swelling of CNCs. By choosing water or NaCl aqueous solutions as inks, the colorful patterns on the CNC/WPU photonic paper can be made temporary, durable, or even disguisable. In addition, the photonic paper is simultaneously rewritable for all these three types of patterns, and the disguisable patterns, which are invisible at normal times and show up under stimuli, exhibit a quick reveal conversion just by exhaling on the paper. The rewritability, rapid responsibility, easy fabrication, and the eco-friendly nature of the inks make the flexible photonic paper/ink combination highly promising in sensors, displays, and photonic circuits.

Optical Properties of Self-Assembled Cellulose Nanocrystals Films Suspended at Planar-Symmetrical Interfaces

Hierarchically structured materials comprising rod-like, chiral, nanoparticles are commonly encountered in nature as they can form assemblies with exceptional optical and mechanical characteristics. These include cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), which have a large potential for the fabrication of bioinspired materials mimicking those advanced properties. Fine-tuning the optomechanical properties of assemblies obtained from CNCs hinges on the transformations from suspensions of liquid crystals to long-range order in the dry state. So far, associated transitions have been studied using trivial interfaces such as planar substrates. Such transitions are explored as they evolve onto meshed supports. The meshed substrate offers a complex topology, as is encountered in nature, for the formation of CNCs films. The CNCs self-assembly occurs under confinement and support of the framework bounding the mesh openings. This leads to coexisting suspended and supported nanoparticle layers exhibiting nematic and/or chiral nematic order. Optical microscopy combined with crossed polarizers indicate that the formation of the suspended films occurs via intermediate gelation or kinetic arrest of CNCs across the mesh's open areas. The formation of self-standing, ultrathin films of CNCs with tunable optical properties, such as selective reflections in the visible range (structural color), is demonstrated by using the presented simple and scalable approach.