Ionic-liquid-derived, water-soluble ionic cellulose.

A new type of water-soluble ionic cellulose was obtained by means of the dissolution of cellulose in dimethylimidazolium methylphosphite at elevated temperatures over 120 °C. FTIR spectroscopy, (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis results revealed that the repeating unit of the water-soluble cellulose consists of a dialkylimidazolium cation and a phosphite anion bonded to cellulose. The degree of phosphorylation on the cellulose chain was between 0.4 and 1.3 depending on the reaction temperature and time. With an increasing degree of phosphorylation, water solubility was increased. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that the cellulose crystalline phase in the parent crystalline cellulose changed to an amorphous phase upon transformation into ionic cellulose. Thermogravimetric analysis showed the prepared phosphorylated cellulose was stable over 250 °C and a substantial amount of residue remained at 500 °C.

Stretchable, transparent graphene interconnects for arrays of microscale inorganic light emitting diodes on rubber substrates.

This paper describes the fabrication and design principles for using transparent graphene interconnects in stretchable arrays of microscale inorganic light emitting diodes (LEDs) on rubber substrates. We demonstrate several appealing properties of graphene for this purpose, including its ability to spontaneously conform to significant surface topography, in a manner that yields effective contacts even to deep, recessed device regions. Mechanics modeling reveals the fundamental aspects of this process, as well as the use of the same layers of graphene for interconnects designed to accommodate strains of 100% or more, in a completely reversible fashion. These attributes are compatible with conventional thin film processing and can yield high-performance devices in transparent layouts. Graphene interconnects possess attractive features for both existing and emerging applications of LEDs in information display, biomedical systems, and other environments.

Hydrolysis of ionic cellulose to glucose.

Hydrolysis of ionic cellulose (IC), 1,3-dimethylimidazolium cellulose phosphite, which could be synthesized from cellulose and dimethylimidazolium methylphosphite ([Dmim][(OCH3)(H)PO2]) ionic liquid, was conducted for the synthesis of glucose. The reaction without catalysts at 150°C for 12h produced glucose with 14.6% yield. To increase the hydrolysis yield, various acid catalysts were used, in which the sulfonated active carbon (AC-SO3H) performed the best catalytic activity in the IC hydrolysis. In the presence of AC-SO3H, the yields of glucose reached 42.4% and 53.9% at the reaction condition of 150°C for 12h and 180°C for 1.5h, respectively; however the yield decreased with longer reaction time due to the degradation of glucose. Consecutive catalyst reuse experiments on the IC hydrolysis demonstrated the catalytic activity of AC-SO3H persisted at least through four successive uses.

Printed multilayer superstructures of aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes for electronic applications.

We developed means to form multilayer superstructures of large collections of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) configured in horizontally aligned arrays, random networks, and complex geometries of arrays and networks on a wide range of substrates. The approach involves guided growth of SWNTs on crystalline and amorphous substrates followed by sequential, multiple step transfer of the resulting collections of tubes to target substrates, such as high-k thin dielectrics on silicon wafers, transparent plates of glass, cylindrical tubes and other curved surfaces, and thin, flexible sheets of plastic. Electrical measurements on dense, bilayer superstructures, including crossbars, random networks, and aligned arrays on networks of SWNTs reveal some important characteristics of representative systems. These and other layouts of SWNTs might find applications not only in electronics but also in areas such as optoelectronics, sensors, nanomechanical systems, and microfluidics.