Nature inspired cellulose-based networks for moisture sensors

Cellulose-based materials contain many advantageous and versatile properties and cellulose-based materials have existed for many millennia. Plants can program cellulose-based dead tissues to respond to external stimuli, usually water. The awns of the Erodium fruit present amazing coil and uncoil motions in response to humidity. These movements result from anisotropic cellulose-based materials organized in layers that contract differently upon the presence of humidity. Cellulose ribbons, if produced from liquid crystalline solutions, are responsive to moisture. In this work stimuli-responsive cellulose-based liquid crystalline films produced by shear-casting techniques with a multi-layer design are evaluated to be used as humidity and temperature sensors. Preparation and characterization and their application as a flexible humidity sensor will be presented in this work. Cellulose-based Nature inspired materials have significant potential for opening up new routes for the production of novel mobile soft materials with tremendous impact on intelligent textiles, energy generation, drug delivery, bio-medical and bio-sensing devices, and micro soft robotics.