Title : Nanocellulose coatings for photocatalytic and photosynthetic properties
Abstract:
The fibrillated and crystalline nanocellulose fibers are a broad family of engineered renewable materials with favourable properties for industrial application in functional devices, used as free-standing films or coatings. Their role in catalytic processes can be exploited and optimized from a bio-mimicry approach through the replication of efficient biological features including structural identities and reactive chemical sites. The spray-coating application of nanocelluloses is a scalable process that allows for good reproducibility of the coating layers with required mechanical robustness and thickness. However, the additional control of porosity and morphologies is needed to increase the functional efficiency targeting either the bulk or surface properties of the coating layer. The coating structures can be introduced either by a bottom-up organization of the nanocellulose or top-down structuring of the deposited coating layers, resulting in the spatial replication of functional surface patterns. In particular, the interaction of light with nanofibrous structures for photocatalytic or photosynthetic activation can be further optimized as a primary requirement to enhance light harvesting, e.g., through a combination of functionalization with active chemical species and appropriate surface texturing. It will be demonstrated how novel functional nanocellulose structures and materials can be made by combining those principles, where the photocatalytic efficiency can be improved by the immobilization of photoreactive moieties or cells. In particular, the incorporation of algae or cyanobacteria in nanopaper coatings or a porous nanocellulose matrix has proven to serve as a platform for the design of photosynthetic cell factories and advanced artificial leaves.
Audience Take Away
- Controlled deposition of nanocellulose coatings for industrial application
- Additional structuring and porosity control of nanocellulose coatings
- Functionalization of nanocellulose coatings for photocatalytic activity
- Role of nanocelluloses in photosynthesis
