start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=7 cd-vols= no-issue=5 article-no= start-page=056402 end-page= dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2020 dt-pub=20200504 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Synthesis of solvent-free conductive and flexible cellulose-carbon nanohorn sheets and their application as a water vapor sensor en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Carbon nanohorns (CNHs) are mixed with cellulose to make freestanding thin-film conductive sheets. CNHs, at different ratios (5, 10, 25, 50 wt%), form composites with cellulose (hydroxyethylcellulose). Freestanding cellulose-carbon nanohorn (CCN) sheets were fabricated using a 100 mu m-thick metal bar coater. Surfactants or any other chemical treatments to tailor the surface properties of CNHs were avoided to obtain composite sheets from pristine CNHs and cellulose. Utilizing the hygroscopic property of hydroxyethylcellulose and the electrical conductivity of CNHs paved a path to perform this experiment. The synthesis technique is simple, and the fabrication and drying of the sheets were effortless. As the loading concentration of CNH increased, the resistance, flexibility, and strength of the CCN composite sheets decreased. The maximum loading concentration possible to obtain a freestanding CCN sheet is 50 wt%. The resistance of the maximum loading concentration of CNH was 53 k omega. The response of the CCN sheets to water vapor was 4 s and recover time was 13 s, and it is feasible to obtain a response for different concentrations of water vapor. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, resistance measurement, tensile strength measurement, and thermogravimetric analysis were used to investigate the mechanical, morphological, electrical, and chemical properties of the CCN sheets. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=Paneer SelvamKarthik en-aut-sei=Paneer Selvam en-aut-mei=Karthik kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=NakagawaTomohiro en-aut-sei=Nakagawa en-aut-mei=Tomohiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=MaruiTatsuki en-aut-sei=Marui en-aut-mei=Tatsuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=InoueHirotaka en-aut-sei=Inoue en-aut-mei=Hirotaka kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=NishikawaTakeshi en-aut-sei=Nishikawa en-aut-mei=Takeshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=HayashiYasuhiko en-aut-sei=Hayashi en-aut-mei=Yasuhiko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University kn-affil= en-keyword=carbon nanohorns kn-keyword=carbon nanohorns en-keyword=cellulose kn-keyword=cellulose en-keyword=conductive sheets kn-keyword=conductive sheets en-keyword=vapor sensor kn-keyword=vapor sensor END