Fabrication of flexible AgNW/cellulose hybrid film with heat preservation and antibacterial properties for agriculture application

In the view of sustainable development and environmental protection, degradable agricultural films with on-demand thermal insulation properties have attracted growing research interest in the last few decades due to the deteriorating environment and extreme climate on the growth and existence of crops. Here, a general strategy has been developed to fabricate degradable silver nanowires modified cellulose (AgNW/cellulose) hybrid film with controllable thermal insulation and antibacterial properties by using plant cellulose and AgNWs as building blocks, PVA and PEG as film forming solvent, as well as their agriculture application. The results show that the AgNWs are evenly dispersed in the three-dimensional grid of cellulose, that they form a film that can withstand a certain tensile force and have good thermal stability. Due to the excellent electrical conductivity, the AgNW/cellulose hybrid films can provide excellent Joule heating, generating rapid thermal response and uniform electrical heating at a low supply voltage of 3 V. In the antibacterial tests against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, the AgNW/cellulose hybrid films exhibited large diameters of inhibition zones, revealing the high antibacterial activity. Additionally, the AgNW/cellulose hybrid films showed highly stretchable behavior by delivering a breaking strain of 1.5% with a tensile stress of 0.45 MPa owing to the cross-linked structures of cellulose and AgNWs. Based on the above properties, this study not only provides a potential strategy for the fabrication of flexible and biodegradable agricultural films but also may provide new insights for agricultural thermal management.