Cellulose has been widely employed as a substrate and
gel electrolyte
in electronic devices due to its excellent mechanical properties and
convertibility. However, the production of cellulose-based gels is
complex and often requires additional chemical cross-linking and solvent
exchange. We now report a facile and unique process for producing
conductive organogels using wood-biomass-derived cellulose and 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic
acid (PDC), which is obtained from the metabolic process of lignin.
A simple mixing process yields cellulose-PDC organogels, which have
been successfully applied to gel-based polyelectrolytes and electrically
responsive actuators. Compared to the control sample, cellulose-isophthalic
acid (IA) organogel, the cellulose-PDC organogel showed superior ionic
conductivity and sensitivity to electrical stimulation. In this study,
new insights into the competitive advantages of wooden biomass-derived
molecules are proposed.