Transparent Cellulose Nanofiber Reinforced Nanocomposites with Superior Performances.

Flexible and transparent composite substrates have been greatly studied to replace glass. Here, we successfully prepared tough and transparent composites reinforced with cellulose nanofibers. Thanks to superior properties of cellulose nanofibers, the composites showed outstanding performances. Similar thermal expansion to glass (7 – 10 ppm K^-1) was observed for the composites, and more than 90 % of light could pass through the composite films. These superior performances of the cellulose nanofiber reinforced composites also come with high mechanical properties and flexibility. With increasing concentrations of cellulose nanofibers, tensile strength, modulus and toughness of the composite films increased considerably. The prepared composites in this work could be used as a promising candidate for flexible optical electronic applications.