Electrospun CA-PEG Composite Films with High Transparency, Optical Haze, and Exceptional Mechanical Flexibility

Abstract

In the advanced optoelectronic field, exploring a universal and scalable strategy to obtain transparent and hazy films with excellent mechanical properties is particularly attractive. In this paper, transparent and hazy cellulose composite films (CPs) with strong mechanical properties were prepared by a simple and scalable impregnation method following the electrospinning technology. CP films possess the ideal performance of high transparency and optical haze at the same time, attributed to the addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG), resulting in the isotropic interwoven network formed by electrospinning. Therefore, the composite CP film combines the advantages of both the PVA film and common paper, exhibiting high transparency (up to 91.62%) and optical haze (up to 95.76%). Furthermore, the mechanical properties of CP films have been significantly improved, with the tensile strength reaching 40 MPa and the strain reaching 180%. In addition, even after bending, folding, and soaking, the composite film with carbon nanotube strips retains a high electrical conductivity. This composite film with strong mechanical strength, high transparency, and haze can expand its applications in the field of flexible optoelectronics.