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Sustainable and Transparent Fish Gelatin Films for Flexible Electroluminescent Devices
Xiaopan Zhang1, Tengyang Ye1, Xianghao Meng1
1Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM) and Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics (KLoFE), Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials (SICAM), Nanjing Tech University (NanjingTech), 30 South Puzhu Road, Nanjing 211816, P.R. China.
Researchers developed flexible, degradable electroluminescent devices using fish gelatin films. These eco-friendly alternatives offer transparency and conductivity for sustainable electronics like foldable displays and wearable devices.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Sustainable Electronics
- Flexible Display Technology
Background:
- Traditional flexible alternating current electroluminescent (ACEL) devices utilize undegradable plastic substrates, posing environmental concerns.
- The demand for eco-friendly and sustainable materials in electronics is increasing.
- Fish scales offer a potential source for biodegradable and transparent film materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a flexible, transient ACEL device using sustainable fish gelatin (FG) films.
- To evaluate the optical and electrical properties of FG films as substrates for ACEL devices.
- To demonstrate the environmental benefits and performance of FG-based ACEL devices.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of transparent fish gelatin films from fish scales.
- Preparation of silver nanowire (Ag NWs)-FG composite films.
- Fabrication and testing of ACEL devices using Ag NWs-FG films as substrates.
- Assessment of film degradability and device dissolution properties.
Main Results:
- Fish gelatin films exhibited high transparency (91.1%) and biodegradability (complete degradation in 24 days in soil).
- Ag NWs-FG films showed good transparency (82.3%) and low sheet resistance (22.4 Ω sq⁻¹).
- The fabricated flexible ACEL device achieved a luminance of 56.0 cd m⁻² and dissolved in water within 3 minutes.
Conclusions:
- Sustainable, flexible, and transparent FG films are a viable eco-friendly alternative to conventional plastic substrates.
- FG-based ACEL devices offer promising performance for applications in foldable displays, wearable devices, and health monitoring.
- This research contributes to the development of green and degradable materials for the future of flexible electronics.
