Mechanically flexible and optically transparent three-dimensional nanofibrous amorphous aerocellulose.
Aerocelluloses are considered as "third generation" aerogels after the silica and synthetic polymer-based ones. However, their brittleness and low optical translucency keep quite narrow their fields of applications. Here, both issues are addressed successfully through the fabrication of flexible and mechanically robust amorphous aerocellulose with high optical transparency, using trifluoroacetic acid as a solvent and ethanol as a non-solvent. The developed aerocellulose displays a meso-macroporous interconnected nanofibrous cellulose skeleton with low density and high specific surface area. We demonstrate its high efficiency as supporting matrix for nanoscale systems by incorporating a variety of colloidal quatum dots, that provide bright and stable photoluminescence to the flexible aerocellulose host.
Smart Materials, Nanophysics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego, 30, 16163 Genova, Italy. Electronic address: farouk.ayadi@gmail.com.
Farouk
F
Ayadi
Nanochemistry Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego, 30, 16163 Genova, Italy,; Graphene Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego, 30, 16163 Genova, Italy.
Beatriz
B
Martín-García
Nanochemistry Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego, 30, 16163 Genova, Italy.
Massimo
M
Colombo
Nanochemistry Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego, 30, 16163 Genova, Italy,; Department of Physics, University of Genoa, via Dodecaneso, 33, 16146 Genova, Italy.
Anatolii
A
Polovitsyn
Nanochemistry Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego, 30, 16163 Genova, Italy.
Alice
A
Scarpellini
Smart Materials, Nanophysics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego, 30, 16163 Genova, Italy.
Luca
L
Ceseracciu
Nanochemistry Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego, 30, 16163 Genova, Italy,; Graphene Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego, 30, 16163 Genova, Italy.
Iwan
I
Moreels
Smart Materials, Nanophysics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego, 30, 16163 Genova, Italy.
Athanassia
A
Athanassiou
D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D019245:Compressive Strength; D005782:Gels; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry*; D055620:Optical Phenomena; D016062:Porosity; D045663:Quantum Dots / Q000737:chemistry; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
D005782:Gels; D002482:Cellulose
Aerogels; Cellulose; Mechanical properties; Nanofibrous materials; Quantum dots