Research trends on energy storage and conversion systems based on electrically conductive mulberry papers: a mini review

Recently, mulberry paper has attracted much attention as a substrate for paper-based energy storage and conversion systems due to the excellent mechanical and chemical stability arising from its holocellulose-based structure and low lignin content, which overcome the limitations of typical cellulose-based paper. The formation of an electrically conducting layer on the mulberry paper is a key step in fabricating the mulberry paper-based energy storage and conversion system. Various methods such as coating, printing, composite formation, and carbonization have been used to provide mulberry paper with electrical conductivity. The properties of mulberry paper electrodes largely depend on the choice of fabrication method, with each method having distinct advantages and disadvantages. Despite of the importance of the processing technology for forming the conducting layer, no comprehensive review on the topic exists to-date, especially with respect to mulberry paper. Hence, the present review introduces the research trends on mulberry paper-based energy storage and conversion devices, and focuses on the technology for fabricating the conducting layer. The advantages and disadvantages of the various fabrication methods are discussed in order to provide a future research direction for mulberry paper-based electrode fabrication, and for its application to the energy storage and conversion system.