Inkjet printing of conductive nanocellulose inks for flexible electronics

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are rod-shaped nanoparticles extracted from renewable cellulose sources that possess impressive mechanical and rheological properties, are non-toxic and biodegradable, and have potential applications in coatings, adhesives, biomedicine and energy storage devices, to name just a few. In combination with conductive nanoparticles, CNCs can be used in inks for printing conductive circuits for electronics. The role of CNCs is to stabilize the conductive nanoparticles and improve the “printability” of the inks. This project aims to produce and characterize CNC-based inks, and to use them to print transparent conductive patterns. CNCs will be prepared through sulfuric acid hydrolysis of cotton. Three inks will be tested: (1) CNCs mixed with silver nanoparticles, (2) CNCs with silver nanoparticles synthesized in situ (commercially available as PolyBioSilver), and (3) CNCs mixed with carbon nanotubes. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Emily Cranston

Student:

Partner:

Institut polytechnique de Grenoble

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Education

University:

McMaster University

Program: