There are two types of semiconductors, one represented by silicon (Si) and the other represented by compounds such as gallium arsenide (GaAs).All of them are artificial compounds made by refining metals from minerals, and the synthesis process uses a lot of energy and is very expensive.If we can develop semiconductors using biomass materials, we can expect the creation of new industries because they are carbon-neutral, renewable, and inexpensive materials.

　Pulp for papermaking is expected to be the ace material of carbon-neutral material for earth regeneration, but its application at present is limited to mechanical and chemical fields.The research group predicted that the charge distribution and electron transfer could be expressed by organizing as a fine structure like CNF.

　The study showed that nano (10/billionth) meter-sized amorphous kenafcelose nanofiber (AKCF) sheets made from the annual kenaf (a plant that originated in West Africa and is used as a raw material for paper) contained n-type It was confirmed that semiconductor characteristics (behavior in which the voltage dependence of the current is reversed in the negative voltage region) were manifested.In addition, the characteristics of the parallel circuit (low conduction band) during DC conduction to the parallel circuit (high conduction band) during AC conduction were also shown.

　Due to these characteristics, unlike compound semiconductors that use expensive high-purity silicon (Si) materials and rare metals, the possibility of producing semiconductors from inexpensive and harmless biomaterials has also emerged.In addition, by utilizing Japan's abundant forest resources, it is expected that paper electronics using plant-derived semiconductors will be put to practical use.

* A material made by loosening and refining vegetable fibers, which are mainly composed of cellulose, to nanometer size.

Paper information:[Scientific Reports] A novel n-type semiconducting biomaterial