The production of greener electronics using nanocellulose has received considerable attention in recent years. In addition to their high availability, the use of nanocellulose materials brings benefits in increasing their efficiency and ease of recycling these devices. For instance, the power conversion efficiency of photovoltaics can be manipulated either through optical properties, such as haze combined with overall high transmittance. On top of that, nanoparticles can be introduced to these materials to obtain different optical properties. One example of adding optical functionality is to employ lignin, which can be composited to the material or added to the bulk of the material as nanoparticles. So, when lignin is present in these materials, UV-blocking is obtained, which is beneficial for several applications, including solar cells. Here, we consider nanocellulose materials with UV-blocking properties to produce recyclable solar cells and we evaluate the stability of their optical response concerning their interaction with light. Thus, we study the solar aging of nanocellulose materials with and without lignin and how the energy exposure from sunlight impacts optical, mechanical, and structural properties. Our target is to understand the operational boundaries of these natural UV-blocking materials under varying weather conditions, in particular how they react to the prolonged exposure to sunlight that is a feature of photovoltaics.

How does sunlight affect nanocellulose materials for green electronics?

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.