AlmaScience CoLAB
The rapid development of flexible electronics has achieved versatile smart platforms well suited for day life applications such as lifestyle, sports, medical-health care, defense, human-machine interface units, among others. However, the main challenges for the next-generation wearables electronics refers to portability, flexibility, biocompatibility, plus reducing the cost and environmental impact. Since nonrecyclable plastic-based are widely used on smart flexible electronics, there is a need to find green and sustainable solutions, without affecting the technological development, while promoting a circular economy model. With that aim, natural biopolymers, such as cellulose have been studied for application in a variety of flexible devices (e.g., flexible sensors and portable energy storage systems). Cellulose is a promising candidate, due to its recyclable and biodegradable nature, it is the most abundant natural biopolymer, unique chemical structure, flexibility, ease to process, mechanical strength, among other properties, which make the cellulose a material that can be applied to the circular economy model. In this sense, different cellulose-based inks were formulated with a conducting polymer, polypyrolle, and rheological fundamental studies were conducted with the aim to tune the viscoelastic properties for appropriate direct ink writing (DIW), an extrusion-based 3D printing technology.
© 2026