Investigation of Thermo-conformational Atributes of Flexible Nanocellulose Films for Electronic Devices

We live in a world where electronics play a pivotal role in our daily life. Nanoscale functional materials can be used to create electronic devices that are highly energy-efficient in their use, such as OLED lights, flexible monitors screens and solar panels. The huge demand for electronic products will lead to negative consequences such as e-waste and exhaustion of natural resources. It is therefore necessary to developed environmentally-friendly organic electronic devices that combine the functionality, thermal stability, durability and life span of functional materials. In this dissertation, I introduce my three studies aimed at coping with the thermal stability gap of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) films, and the behavior of films under long-term heat exposure, which is necessary for the manufacturing of sustainable flexible electronic substrates and ensuring their long life-span. For this purpose, first, I investigated the influence of thermal exposure on CNF films and their reactivity at different temperatures. These results determine the boundary temperature of films and the life-span of the substrate during long-term use. Second, I demonstrate the stability of the CNF film properties during thermal exposure and explore the flexibility of the nanocellulose chains, since there is no degradation effect during heat exposure at 190°C. Third, the mobility of the CNF chains during the investigation shows the changes of the glucopyranose units which were followed by a dynamical change trajectory during the conformation of the chain. Following that, I confirm the possibility of using CNF substrates in conventional manufacturing processes under the required temperature conditions. Fourth, different methods (superposition principle, isoconversional) are adapted to predict the behavior of the substrates as an electronic device during long-term use, which can improve the adaptability of the devices and their commercialization in the future. Finally, I demonstrate a flexible electronic device based on a CNF substrate that has been successfully manufactured (to which I contributed) and that has operated for more than 5 years. In summary, this dissertation provides solutions for CNF film substrates as the basis of the large-scale production of electronic devices made from sustainably derived biological materials and their durability during long-term use.

Department dc:contributor.department

Forestry

Year dc:date.issued

2022

Author dc:creator

• Pakharenko, Viktoriya

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Sain, Mohini

Statement dc:rights

• Attribution 4.0 International

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1807/123320

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:utoronto.scholaris.ca:1807/123320