Solution-processable robust, recyclable and sustainable cellulose conductor for photoelectric devices via a starch-gluing–Ag nanowires strategy†

A cellulose conductor with biodegradability and renewability is a charming candidate to construct state-of-the-art electronic devices toward artificial intelligence and the Internet of things. However, the poor bonding between conductive materials and cellulose film, or high cost and complex processes for realizing the robustness (high stability of its conductivity) functions as the obvious defect, preventing the broad utilization of a cellulose conductor in advanced electronic devices. Herein, a solution-processable, robust, and scalable cellulose conductor with a high conductivity (15 Ω sq⁻¹) and transmittance (85%) is developed via coating a blending starch and silver nanowires (AgNWs) on as-prepared cellulose film (namely, CSA film). In such a cellulose conductor, starch plays the natural “glue” to effectively fasten AgNWs on the cellulose film, which endows the desirable robustness to our CSA film. Despite robustness, more importantly, the CSA film features a promising recyclability via cellulose degradation to re-harvest the AgNWs, or by boiling CSA the film to independently separate the AgNWs and cellulose film, both of which are reused to produce a second CSA film with a conductivity of 18 Ω sq⁻¹. The high performance allows the CSA film to construct advanced electronic devices, such as inorganic electroluminescent and organic light-emitting diode devices. Our starch-gluing–AgNW strategy paves the way for developing a robust yet green, recyclable cellulose conductor toward advanced electronic devices.