High-performance green flexible electronics based on biodegradable cellulose nanofibril paper

TLDR

Consumer electronics are typically made from non‑renewable, non‑biodegradable, and sometimes toxic materials, and their frequent upgrades and discards cause serious environmental contamination. The authors aim to develop electronic systems composed of renewable, biodegradable materials with minimal toxic content. They fabricate electrical components on biodegradable, flexible cellulose nanofibril paper derived from wood. They demonstrate high‑performance flexible microwave and digital devices, including gallium arsenide transistors, on the paper with performance comparable to rigid counterparts and show fungal biodegradation, proving feasibility of eco‑friendly high‑performance flexible electronics.

Abstract

Today’s consumer electronics, such as cell phones, tablets and other portable electronic devices, are typically made of non-renewable, non-biodegradable, and sometimes potentially toxic (for example, gallium arsenide) materials. These consumer electronics are frequently upgraded or discarded, leading to serious environmental contamination. Thus, electronic systems consisting of renewable and biodegradable materials and minimal amount of potentially toxic materials are desirable. Here we report high-performance flexible microwave and digital electronics that consume the smallest amount of potentially toxic materials on biobased, biodegradable and flexible cellulose nanofibril papers. Furthermore, we demonstrate gallium arsenide microwave devices, the consumer wireless workhorse, in a transferrable thin-film form. Successful fabrication of key electrical components on the flexible cellulose nanofibril paper with comparable performance to their rigid counterparts and clear demonstration of fungal biodegradation of the cellulose-nanofibril-based electronics suggest that it is feasible to fabricate high-performance flexible electronics using ecofriendly materials. The rapid evolution of consumer electronics means that out-of-date devices quickly end up in the scrap heap. Here, the authors fabricate electrical components using biodegradable and flexible cellulose nanofibril paper—a natural sustainable resource derived from wood.