Research progress of cellulose conductive substrates and its flexible electronic devices

Cellulose is a kind of natural material with the abundant, renewable, and degradable distinction. This article reviews the effects of physical, chemical, biological or combined technologies on cellulose, which can lead to the cellulosic materials, such as cellulose fibers, nanocellulose, and cellulose molecules. Based on cellulose fiber, the cellulose paper substrate with high porosity can be produced by wet papermaking technology. Based on nanocellulose, the nanocellulose membrane substrate with low surface roughness and high transparency can be prepared via vacuum filtration or coating. Based on cellulose molecules, the regenerated cellulose membrane substrate with uniform surface morphology and high transparency can be produced by coating or casting. The commonly used conductive materials (metal conductive materials, polymer conductive materials and carbon based conductive materials, etc.) are further investigated for manufacturing the flexible, light and conductive cellulose substrates by various preparing methods, such as coating, deposition, in-situ polymerization, or self-assembly. The high performance cellulose conductive substrates can effectively construct the flexible electronic devices, which can be applied in the fields of photoelectric conversion, energy storage and electromagnetic shielding. In conclusion, the preparation of flexible electronic devices from natural cellulose is of great significance to expand the applications of cellulose, enhances the utilization value of cellulose, and promotes the further development of flexible electronic devices.