Recent development and challenges in synthesis of cellulosic nanostructures and their application in developing paper-based energy devices

Abstract

Cellulose can be extracted from different natural sources, including plants, marine animals, or microorganisms. Nanocellulose (NC) can be then produced from it, in the form of either crystal or fiber, depending on the source of cellulose and process conditions. In the last decades, the interest in the application of NC as a building block in functional composites has significantly increased. Such a trend will keep growing due to the exceptional properties and sustainability of NC. Paper energy devices have been developed for various applications, especially those related to harvesting and saving energy. This article first briefly reviews the fundamentals related to the NC and its synthesis, and then describes thoroughly the functionalities provided by paper-based energy devices. Although these functionalities bring a great opportunity to develop new value-added products, there are several challenges in the way of commercialization of paper-based electronic and electrical devices. These challenges are summarized to open up avenues of further research, in addition to providing novel ideas for developing such devices.