Conducting polymers such as polypyrrole exhibits high conductivity and good environmental stability and it has gained considerable attention as a substitute for metallic conductors or semiconductors in a wide variety of electrical and electronic devices. However, unlike the conventional thermoplastic and thermoset polymers, polypyrrole is difficult to process using methods such as melt processing and solution casting. It is insoluble in common solvents and decomposes before reaching its melting temperature. Cellulose nanofibers (CNF) can act as biodegradable and flexible substrate for improving the processability. Most of the methods in literature have used in situ polymerization of pyrrole onto CNF followed by film preparation. This approach produces flexible conducting nanopaper with good conductivity but poor mechanical strength due to reduction in hydrogen bonding between the nanofibers. To address this issue in this research we have developed a novel approach for improving the conductivity as well as mechanical strength of the resultant polypyrrole based cellulose nanopaper by creating cross-linking between with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and CNF. The novel and simple approach developed in this research enabled superior properties of CNF and polypyrrole based composites compared to conventional methods.

Novel approach in developing cellulose nanofiber and polypyrrole based conducting composites with improved conductivity and mechanical strength

2019 Spring National Meeting

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