A flexible paper transistor made with aligned single-walled carbon nanotube bonded cellulose composite

We report a flexible paper transistor made with single-walled carbon nanotubes covalently bonded cellulose (SCBC) composite without any additional semiconducting layer. Single-walled carbon nanotubes are covalently grafted to cellulose fibrils in a regenerated cellulose film to form the SCBC composite followed by a mechanical stretching process. The SCBC transistor shows a remarkable current–voltage characteristic depending on the stretching ratio. We found that the alignment of covalently bonded carbon nanotube plays a role that governs the electrical channel behavior of the SCBC composite.

► A flexible paper transistor was made with cellulose composite.
► Single-walled carbon nanotubes bonded cellulose composite was made.
► A good current–voltage characteristic was obtained depending on the stretching ratio.
► The aligned carbon nanotube governs the electrical channel in the composite.