Abstract
Utilizing a combination of atomic layer deposition and
dip-coating techniques, we have incorporated natural
nanocellulose fibers into an inorganic matrix in order to
create a layered hybrid inorganic-organic thin-film
structure. Such layer-engineered hybrid materials with an
unorthodox combination of components are highly potential
candidates for exciting new properties. Here, we show a
more than an order of magnitude reduction in the
cross-plane thermal conductivity for ZnO thin films
achieved with the regular inclusion of the cellulose
nanofiber layers. We foresee that a similar approach as
presented here for ZnO could also be applied to other
inorganic materials based on earth-abundant elements to
influence their thermal transport properties.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 6093-6099 |
| Journal | Journal of Materials Science |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 May 2017 |
| MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Funding
The present work has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013)/ERC Advanced Grant Agreement (No. 339478) and ERC Proof-of-Concept Grant Agreement (No. 712738), Academy of Finland (Nos. 259500, 292431, 303452), the Aalto School of Chemical Technology—VTT Forest Meets Chemistry Programme and from the United States Army Research Office (No. W911NF-16-1-0320).