Unconventional Electrode Material Prepared from Coir Fiber through Sputter Coating of Gold: A Study toward Value Addition of Natural Biopolymer

The preparation and properties of a simple and cost-effective gold-coated coir fiber electrode are reported. The natural fiber [Young’s modulus (Y) = 65.10 MPa], without any pretreatment, was sputter coated with gold to a thickness of 125 nm. The flexible and mechanically strong (Y = 83.84 MPa) composite fiber with electrical resistivity 4.4 × 10–4 Ω cm behaved normally as an electrode in well understood electrochemical processes such as cyclic voltammetry and electro-polymerization. The electrode was evaluated both in aqueous and nonaqueous media. The results were comparable with the control data generated using a conventional gold wire electrode.