Transparent and Multi-Foldable Nanocellulose Paper Microsupercapacitors

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Transparent power sources are crucial for wireless optoelectronics.
• Existing transparent power sources often rely on synthetic chemicals, limiting their applications.
• There is a need for advanced, sustainable materials for transparent energy storage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a novel class of transparent nanocellulose paper microsupercapacitors (TNP-MSCs).
• To develop a beyond-synthetic-material strategy for transparent energy storage.
• To create TNP-MSCs with enhanced optical transparency, capacitance, voltage, and mechanical flexibility.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of thiol-modified transparent nanocellulose paper.
• Introduction of silver nanowire and conducting polymer via electrohydrodynamic jet printing for transparent conductive electrodes (TNP-TCEs).
• Integration of TNP-TCEs with solid-state gel electrolytes for configurable TNP-MSCs.

Main Results:

• Achieved high optical transparency (T = 85%).
• Demonstrated significant areal capacitance (0.24 mF cm⁻²).
• Enabled controllable voltage output (7.2 V per cell) and excellent mechanical flexibility.

Conclusions:

• The developed TNP-MSCs offer a sustainable alternative to synthetic chemical-based transparent power sources.
• The unique structure and scalable microfabrication enable on-demand cell configurations.
• TNP-MSCs outperform previously reported transparent microsupercapacitors in key performance metrics.