Cellulose and chitin are abundant and renewable polymers. However, they leave a large environmental footprint due to the hazardous solvents used during fibre spinning. Like many other fibres, they are currently used for a mono-functional task. In the present work, we have manufactured cellulose and chitin based electrically conducting, multi functional textile fibres and films by dispersion of up to 10wt% of carbon nanotubes. Ionic liquids were used as environmentally benign solvents to dissolve cellulose and chitin and as medium for dispersion of carbon nanotubes. Due to high degree of alignment of carbon nanotubes during fibres spinning process,  cellulose and chitin nanocomposites below 7wt% of carbon nanotubes were not conducting. However, the electrical conductivity at 7wt% of carbon nanotubes was increased by orders of magnitude. A mesoscale modelling (Dissipative Particle Dynamics) of carbon nanotube suspension was carried out to study the effect of aspect ratio and degree of alignment of carbon nanotubes on the electrical percolation threshold. A brief study of biocompatibility of electrically conducting fibres and films with cortical rat neuron was carried out to explore the potential of these nanocomposites in neural tissue engineering.

Cellulose and chitin nanocomposites based electrically conducting textile fibres and films

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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