Simultaneously depositing polyaniline onto bacterial cellulose nanofibers and graphene nanosheets toward electrically conductive nanocomposites

• Published in: Current applied physics 2018, 18(8), , pp.933-940
• Main Authors: Wan, Yizao, Li, Jin, Yang, Zhiwei, Ao, Haiyong, Xiong, Lingling, Luo, Honglin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bacterial cellulose; Electrical conductivity; Graphene; Mechanical property; Polyaniline; 물리학
• ISSN: 1567-1739; 1878-1675
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cap.2018.05.008

In this study, we report the construction of a ternary flexible nanocomposite of bacterial cellulose/graphene/polyaniline (BC/GE/PANI) via a facile two-step strategy. Bacterial cellulose/graphene (BC/GE) is first prepared by a novel in situ membrane-liquid-interface method, in which the three-dimensional continuous BC nanofibers can be maintained and the introduced GE can improve the mechanical properties mainly due to the uniform dispersion of GE in the BC matrix. To construct the effectively interconnected conductive paths between separated GE nanosheets, polyaniline (PANI) is simultaneously deposited on the surfaces of both BC nanofibers and GE nanosheets to obtain BC/GE/PANI with excellent electrical conductivity. It is found that the as-prepared BC/GE/PANI has an electrical conductivity of 1.7 ± 0.1 S cm−1, which is higher than most of PANI-based composites. It is believed that the BC/GE/PANI nanocomposite possesses great potential for applications in electromagnetic shielding and flexible electrodes. [Display omitted] •Polyaniline was simultaneously coated on bacterial cellulose (BC) and graphene (GE).•Distribution of polyaniline on BC and GE can be controlled by processing variables.•Polyaniline coating greatly improves the electrical properties of BC/GE composite.