Designing for Degradation: Transient Devices Enabled by (Nano)Cellulose

Abstract Transient technology involves materials and devices that undergo controlled degradation after a reliable operation period. This groundbreaking strategy offers significant advantages over conventional devices based on non‐renewable materials by limiting environmental exposure to potentially hazardous components after disposal, and by increasing material circularity. As the most abundant naturally occurring polymer on Earth, cellulose is an attractive material for this purpose. Besides, (nano)celluloses are inherently biodegradable and have competitive mechanical, optical, thermal, and ionic conductivity properties that can be exploited to develop sustainable devices and avoid the end‐of‐life issues associated with conventional systems. Despite its potential, few efforts have been made to review current advances in cellulose‐based transient technology. Therefore, this review catalogs the state‐of‐the‐art developments in transient devices enabled by cellulosic materials. To provide a wide perspective, the various degradation mechanisms involved in cellulosic transient devices are introduced. The advanced capabilities of transient cellulosic systems in sensing, photonics, energy storage, electronics, and biomedicine are also highlighted. Current bottlenecks toward successful implementation are discussed, with material circularity and environmental impact metrics at the center. It is believed that this review will serve as a valuable resource for the proliferation of cellulose‐based transient technology and its implementation into fully integrated, circular, and environmentally sustainable devices.