Original Article

Cellulose-based metal–semiconductor field-effect transistors for paper electronics

¹ New Industry Creation Hatchery Center, Tohoku University, Aoba, Sendai 980-8579, Japan
² Research Institute for Sustainable Chemistry, Department of Materials and Chemistry, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima 739-0046, Japan

^* e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Received: 8 September 2025
Accepted: 19 March 2026
Published online: 24 April 2026

Abstract

Despite the interest in cellulose nanofibers for bioelectronic applications, limited research on transistors has been reported. In this study, we introduce n-type cellulose metalsemiconductor field-effect transistors (MESFETs) based on the Schottky junction effect using cellulose nanofibers from kenaf and broadleaf. In comparison with conventional highly π–extended aromatic organic semiconductors, the Hall effect of kenaf and broadleaf revealed carrier mobilities of 55.1 and 15.6 cm²/Vs, respectively, which are two orders of magnitude higher. Their electrical resistivities of 5.80 × 10⁷ and 6.71 × 10⁷ Ω cm, which are two and ten orders of magnitude lower, respectively. The cellulose MESFET exhibits advantageous properties for significant amplification under negative gate voltages and a high on/off ratio under positive gate voltages. At Vg = 3 V, the on/off ratio reached 1.825, which is relatively favorable compared to that of ferroelectric polymer semiconductor devices. The proposed MESFET shows substantial potential for future applications in flexible and sustainable paper-based electronic devices.