Biodegradable and Insoluble Cellulose Photonic Crystals and Metasurfaces

Caligiuri, Vincenzo; Tedeschi, Giacomo; Palei, Milan; Miscuglio, Mario; Martin-Garcia, Beatriz; Guzman-Puyol, Susana; Hedayati, Mehdi Keshavarz; Kristensen, Anders; Athanassiou, Athanassia; Cingolani, Roberto; Sorger, Volker J.; Salerno, Marco; Bonaccorso, Francesco; Krahne, Roman; Heredia-Guerrero, José Alejandro

Abstract

The replacement of plastic with eco-friendly and biodegradable materials is one of the most stringent environmental challenges. In this respect, cellulose stands out as a biodegradable polymer. However, a significant challenge is to obtain biodegradable materials for high-end photonics that are robust in humid environments. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of high-quality micro- and nanoscale photonic and plasmonic structures via replica molding using pure cellulose and a blended version with nonedible agro-wastes. Both materials are biodegradable in soil and seawater according to the ISO 17556 standard. The pure cellulose films are transparent in the vis–NIR spectrum, having a refractive index similar to glass. The microstructured photonic crystals show high-quality diffractive properties that are maintained under extended exposure to water. Nanostructuring the cellulose transforms it to a biodegradable metasurface manifesting bright structural colors. A subsequent deposition of Ag endowed the metasurface with plasmonic properties used to produce plasmonic colors and for surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Citation

Caligiuri, V., Tedeschi, G., Palei, M., Miscuglio, M., Martin-Garcia, B., Guzman-Puyol, S., Hedayati, M. K., Kristensen, A., Athanassiou, A., Cingolani, R., Sorger, V. J., Salerno, M., Bonaccorso, F., Krahne, R., & Heredia-Guerrero, J. A. (2020). Biodegradable and Insoluble Cellulose Photonic Crystals and Metasurfaces. ACS Nano, 14(8), 9502-9511. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.0c03224

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 19, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Jun 19, 2020
• Publication Date: Aug 25, 2020
• Deposit Date: Jul 27, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 19, 2021
• Journal: ACS Nano
• Print ISSN: 1936-0851
• Electronic ISSN: 1936-086X
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 8
• Pages: 9502-9511
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.0c03224
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1259679