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Issue 8, 2019
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Self-assembled ultrathin film of CNC/PVA–liquid metal composite as a multifunctional Janus material†

Pengju Zhang, ORCID logo ‡abc   Qian Wang, ORCID logo ‡ab   Rui Guo, ORCID logo d   Mingkuan Zhang, ORCID logo abc   Shunqi Wang,e   Chennan Lu, ORCID logo cf   Mianqi Xue, ORCID logo g   Junbing Fan, ORCID logo h   Zhizhu He ORCID logo *i  and  Wei Rao ORCID logo *abc  
Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

a CAS Key Laboratory of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
E-mail: weirao@mail.ipc.ac.cn

b Beijing Key Laboratory of Cryo-Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China

c School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China

d Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

e Shenyuan Honors College, Beihang University, China

f School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

g National Engineering Research Center of Engineering Plastics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China

h CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China

i Beijing Key Laboratory of Optimized Design for Modern Agricultural Equipment, College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
E-mail: zzhe@cau.edu.cn

Abstract

Ultrathin flexible Janus membranes with asymmetric structure and anisotropic conductive characteristics have attracted considerable attention due to their promising applications in soft electronics, microsensors, and energy management technologies. Conventional fabrication methods for Janus films usually require the assistance of interfacial or auxiliary equipment, which are usually complex and time-consuming. Herein, flexible and ultrathin liquid metal (LM) Janus films with integrated electrically, optically, and thermally anisotropic properties are presented for the first time. They were fabricated by the simple mixing of liquid metal nanoparticles with cellulose nanocrystal cotton and polyvinyl alcohol suspension, followed by self-assembly density deposition without the necessity of any interface or equipment, thereby making it easier and time-saving when compared with traditional interfacial or noninterfacial fabrication methods for Janus films. This unique substrate-ink-integrated nature of the liquid metal Janus film and shear-friction-enabled direct-writing technology provide a novel approach for the field manufacturing of customized electronics and one-step fabrication of multilayer circuits. It is particularly important to note that a microscale depth sensor can also be achieved in a simple manner; further, a smart acupuncture depth training model was developed by using liquid metal Janus films. In addition, the as-prepared Janus film could be used as a light conversion switch and temperature regulator. This study suggests a versatile strategy for creating Janus films with multifunctional (such as electrical, thermal, and optical) anisotropies.

Graphical abstract: Self-assembled ultrathin film of CNC/PVA–liquid metal composite as a multifunctional Janus material

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Supplementary files

Article information

https://doi.org/10.1039/C9MH00280D
Submitted
21 Feb 2019
Accepted
24 May 2019
First published
30 May 2019
Mater. Horiz., 2019,6, 1643-1653
Article type
Communication
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Self-assembled ultrathin film of CNC/PVA–liquid metal composite as a multifunctional Janus material

P. Zhang, Q. Wang, R. Guo, M. Zhang, S. Wang, C. Lu, M. Xue, J. Fan, Z. He and W. Rao, Mater. Horiz., 2019, 6, 1643
DOI: 10.1039/C9MH00280D

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