Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
11:26
Towards Biomimicking Wood: Fabricated Free-standing Films of Nanocellulose, Lignin, and a Synthetic Polycation
Published on: June 17, 2014
Laser-induced carbonization of cellulose acetate for controlled carbon structure evolution
Angelica Bisceglie1,2, Pietro Zaccagnini1,2, Luisa Baudino1,2
1Department of Applied Science and Technologies - Polytechnic of Turin Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24 Turin 10129 Italy andrea.lamberti@polito.it.
Materials Advances
|August 4, 2026
Summary
Laser-induced carbonization of cellulose acetate membranes offers a sustainable method for creating carbon materials. Activated carbon derived from this process shows excellent performance in microsupercapacitors, outperforming petroleum-based alternatives.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Sustainable Energy
Background:
- Conventional biomass pyrolysis is energy-intensive and requires harsh conditions.
- Laser-induced carbonization presents a rapid, green alternative for biomass conversion.
- Demand is growing for sustainable, petroleum-free alternatives in laser writing applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate laser-induced carbon (LIC) from cellulose acetate (CA) membranes using CO2 laser irradiation.
- To explore the use of bis[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] phosphate (BMEP) to enhance CA's thermal stability for localized carbonization.
- To engineer various carbon structures, including activated carbon (AC), graphene oxide (GO), and laser-induced graphene (LIG), by tuning laser parameters.
Main Methods:
- Utilized CO2 laser irradiation on cellulose acetate membranes.
- Incorporated bis[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] phosphate (BMEP) as a flame retardant to improve thermal stability.
- Varied laser defocus distance and number of passes to control the resulting carbon morphology (amorphous carbon, AC, GO, LIG).
Main Results:
- Successfully produced amorphous carbon, AC, GO, and LIG from CA membranes.
- Optimized AC fabrication via a double-pass process at 7.5 mm defocus distance.
- Achieved high electrochemical performance for AC in microsupercapacitors: 63 mF cm⁻², 3.3 µWh cm⁻², and 0.42 mW cm⁻².
Conclusions:
- Laser-induced carbonization of CA is a viable method for producing high-performance carbon materials.
- The developed AC electrodes surpass petroleum-derived laser-induced graphene in electrochemical performance.
- This research provides a versatile platform for sustainable carbon-based electrode engineering using potentially upcycled precursors.
