Enhanced Hydrophobicity in Nanocellulose-Based Materials: Toward Green Wearable Devices

Author(s)

Fingolo, Ana C. ^{[1, 2]} ; de Morais, Vitoria B. ^[1] ; Costa, V, Saionara ; Correa, Catia C. ^[3] ; Lodi, Beatriz ^[3] ; Santhiago, Murilo ^{[4, 3]} ; Bernardes, Juliana S. ^{[4, 3]} ; Bufon, Carlos C. B. ^{[2, 3]}

Affiliation

^[1] Brazilian Ctr Res Energy & Mat CNPEM, Brazilian Nanotechnol Natl Lab LNNano, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] Sao Paulo State Univ UNESP, Program Mat Sci & Technol POSMAT, BR-17033360 Bauru, SP - Brazil

^[3] Costa, Saionara, V, Brazilian Ctr Res Energy & Mat CNPEM, Brazilian Nanotechnol Natl Lab LNNano, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[4] Fed Univ ABC, Ctr Nat & Human Sci, BR-09210580 Santo Andre, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS; v. 4, n. 9, p. 6682-6689, SEP 20 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Nanocellulose is a promising material for fabricating green, biocompatible, flexible, and foldable devices. One of the main issues of using nanocellulose as a fundamental component for wearable electronics is the influence of environmental conditions on it. The water adsorption promotes the swelling of nanopaper substrates, which directly affects the devices' electrical properties prepared on/with it. Here, plant-based nanocellulose substrates, and ink composites deposited on them, are chemically modified using hexamethyldisilazane to enhance the system's hydrophobicity. After the treatment, the electrical properties of the devices exhibit stable operation under humidity levels around 95%. Such stability demonstrates that the hexamethyldisilazane modification substantially suppresses the water adsorption on fundamental device structures, namely, substrate plus conducting ink. These results attest to the robustness necessary to use nanocellulose as a key material in wearable devices such as electronic skins and tattoos and contribute to the worldwide efforts to create biodegradable devices engineered in a more deterministic fashion. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/25979-2 - Fabrication and characterization of devices and systems based on hybrid nanomembranes
• Grantee: Carlos César Bof Bufon
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
• FAPESP's process: 16/04514-7 - Cellulose nanoparticles as rheology modifiers for complex fluids
• Grantee: Juliana da Silva Bernardes
• Support Opportunities: Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN) - Regular Program Grants
• FAPESP's process: 14/50906-9 - INCT 2014: in Functional Complex Materials
• Grantee: Fernando Galembeck
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants