Biosourced components for solar cells and batteries: targeting sustainability issues for energy devices

In the last 20 years, dye-sensitized solar cells emerged as promising low-cost alternatives to silicon devices; at the same time, the Li-ion battery market has rapidly grown thanks to the extensive diffusion of mobile electronics devices. In order to lower the cost and reduce the environmental impact of these energy storage and conversion devices, efforts must be devoted to reduce the amount of inactive components in the cell, to substitute synthetic polymer binders/separators and organic solvents with low-cost and biosourced materials and to develop new eco-friendly processes for the manufacture of cell components (both electrodes and electrolyte). Here we review the use of biosourced materials for manufacturing: - Paper-based flexible electrodes and electrolytes for third generation solar cells, useful to lower oil-derived components and typical temperatures used to electrodes processing. - Bio-inspired all-paper Li-ion polymer cells, constituted by NMFC-binded paper-electrodes, and NMFC reinforced polymer electrolytes. The use of NMFC as filler/binder leads to produce high performing, safe and extremely flexible electrolytes for LiBs. No organic solvents or synthetic polymer binders are used during the entire electrode/electrolyte/cell preparation process. - Efforts towards replacement of expensive components with biosourced ones in batteries and solar cells. This materials platform is promising not only for the sustainable manufacture of energy devices components, but also for their processability at the end of life. For example, the all-paper lithium cell can be easily re-dispersed in water by simple mechanical stirring, as well as common paper handsheets and battery materials can be recovered using well-known water-based recycling process.