2025 AIChE Annual Meeting
(278i) Direct Fabrication of Biomass-Based Flexible Materials from Wood Pulp for Sustainable and Multifunctional Applications
Cellulose-based flexible materials, such as foam and aerogel, have attracted significant interest for use in wearable electronics, energy storage, and environmental remediation. However, current research overwhelmingly relies on nanocellulose or bacterial cellulose as feeding materials. These methods involve complex processing steps such as high-shear fibrillation, bacterial culture, solvent exchange, and freeze-drying—resulting in high energy consumption, long processing times, and environmental burdens. In this study, we present a simple, sustainable, and cost-effective strategy to fabricate flexible foams directly from wood pulp, bypassing the need for nanocellulose preparation or bacterial fermentation. Unlike conventional processes, our method avoids solvent exchange and enables straightforward drying through either oven drying or ambient drying, significantly reducing energy input and processing time. The resulting pulp-derived flexible foams exhibit excellent mechanical strength, flexibility, and tunable surface functionalities. Their performance enables diverse practical applications, including piezoresistive sensors, flexible electrodes, and filtration membranes for water purification. This work introduces a cost effective and environmentally friendly approach for producing cellulose-based flexible materials, offering a strong alternative to traditional nanocellulose-based methods and paving the way for broader adoption of forest-derived functional materials in industrial and environmental applications.