Subzero Conductivity in Antifreeze-Free Ionic Gels from Liquid Crystalline Cellulose−Protein Networks
mediated ionic coordination, (iii) protein-based covalent crosslinking, and (iv) hydrogen bonding and supramolecular assembly within the ionic liquid, resulting in a homogeneous and highly conductive gel. Notably, the immobilization of LC units in the isotropic phase enhances local structural order and elasticity without compromising conductivity. This work pioneers an environmentally benign, mostly bioderived, antifreeze-free ionic gel platform for applications in soft electronics, cryogenic energy devices, deep-sea and space technologies, and biomedical cryo-preservation.
Authors
- Challa V. Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8399-1334)
- Haotian Long (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8127-439X)
- Ankarao Kalluri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7483-126X)
- Reuben Bosire (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4152-2820)
- Dennis Ndaya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5901-1351)
- Francis K. Masese (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7009-696X)
- Rajeswari M. Kasi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3872-1463)
- Chinedum Osuji
- Patrick Njenga
- Akram Alhadainy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8844-009X)
Institutions
- California University of Pennsylvania (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Applied Bio Materials
- Published
- 2026-04-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsabm.6c00234
- Primary Topic
- Ionic liquids properties and applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00