Eco-Friendly Bioinspired Interface Design for High-Performance Cellulose Nanofibril/Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites

Authors：Zhang, Cunzhi; Chen, Guixian; Wang, Xijun; Zhou, Shenghui; Yu, Jie; Feng, Xiao; Li, Lengwan; Chen, Pan; Qi, Haisong^*

Source：ACS applied materials & interfaces, 2020, 12(49): 55527-55535.

DOI：10.1021/acsami.0c19099

• holocellulose nanofibrils
• carbon nanotubes
• bioinspired nanocomposites
• amphiphilic polysaccharides
• liquid sensor

Inspired by a wood-like multicomponent structure, an interface-reinforced method was developed to fabricate high-performance cellulose nanofibril (CNF)/carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposites. Holocellulose nanofibrils (HCNFs) with core-shell structure were first obtained from bagasse via mild delignification and mechanical defibration process. The well-preserved native hemicellulose as the amphiphilic shell of HCNFs could act as a binding agent, sizing agent, and even dispersing agent between HCNFs and CNTs. Remarkably, both the tensile strength at high relative humidity (83% RH) and electrical conductivity of the HCNF/CNT nanocomposites were significantly improved up to 121 MPa and 321 S/m, respectively, demonstrating great superiority compared to normal CNF/CNT composite films. Furthermore, these HCNF/CNT composites with outstanding integrated performances exhibited great potential in the field of flexible liquid sensing.

• Institution
  北京理工大学