Ion‐Induced Assembly: Explaining the Exceptional Wet Integrity of Transparent Cellulose Nanofibril Films in the Presence of Multivalent Ions—Suitable Substrates for Biointerfaces (Adv. Mater. Interfaces 13/2019)

Multivalent ions induce the assembly cellulose nanofibrils into strong and ductile hydrogel films with wet mechanical properties surpassing those of common plastics. By using a network mechanics model and the theories of ion-ion correlation and specific ion effects, the wet mechanical properties of these films can be explained and rationally designed. The films are highly promising as substrates for biointerfaces since cellulose and cellulose derivatives are biocompatible, the mechanical properties can be tuned to match those of different types of tissues, and their transparency allows them to be used in advanced bioelectronics applications, such as optical biosensors. More details can be found in article number 1900333 by Tobias Benselfelt, Lars Wågberg, and co-workers.