Electrically Conductive Bacterial Cellulose by Incorporation of Carbon Nanotubes

Electrically conducting polymeric membranes were prepared by incorporating multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into bacterial cellulose pellicles produced by Gluconacetobacter xylinum. The MWCNTs were dispersed in a surfactant (cationic cetyl trimethylammonium bromide) solution, and cellulose pellicles were dipped into the solution for 6, 12, and 24 h. The surfactants were then extracted in pure water and dried. Electron microscopy showed that the individual MWCNTs were strongly adhered to the surface and the inside of the cellulose pellicle. The conductivity of the MWCNTs-incorporated cellulose pellicle, as measured by a four-probe at room temperature, was 1.4 × 10-1 S/cm, based on the total cross-sectional area (approximately 9.6 wt % of MWCNTs). This suggests that the MWCNTs were incorporated uniformly and densely into the pellicles.