Amino-functionalized nanocellulose derived flexible elastomer for cryptographic information transmission and triboelectric nanogenerators

Flexible conductive elastomers have exhibited high performance with excellent weather resistance, but remain significant challenges in modern scientific research. This study introduces an innovative method for constructing conductive elastomers based on amino functionalized nanocellulose (ε-PL-TOCN) and poly(deep eutectic solvents) (PDES). This elastomer (ε-PL-TOCN/PDES) has been successfully applied to flexible sensors, cryptographic information transmission, and triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG). Furthermore, integrating these elastomers as TENG electrodes may facilitate the development of self-powered wearable devices, thus opening new avenues in energy harvesting technology. The method involves incorporating glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) into a DES matrix dispersed with ε-PL-TOCN, facilitating in-situ polymerization through ring-opening reactions between GMA's epoxides with ε-PL-TOCN and DES. Thus, a dual crosslinked network comprising physical and chemical interactions is formed. Furthermore, at a 2 wt% ε-PL-TOCN content, the elastomer exhibits impressive mechanical properties, with a tensile strength of 3.24 MPa and an elongation at break of 1698.99 %. The formation of a dense hydrogen-bonded network by ε-PL-TOCN significantly enhances the elastomer's mechanical strength, anti-freezing ability, and solvent resistance. These properties enable the application in flexible sensors and TENGs, effectively monitoring human motion, transmitting secure information, and harvesting mechanical energy to produce stable electrical outputs, such as lighting LEDs. Thus, this research presents a promising strategy for utilizing ε-PL-TOCN in the fabrication of multifunctional flexible electronic devices for applications in extreme environments.