Facile fabrication of flexible and conductive cellulose paper from aqueous carbon nanotube/hemicellulose compound

A highly conductive paper is demonstrated using double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) simply coated on cellulose fibers by filtration technique from an aqueous suspension. The DWCNT material in this work was non-covalently functionalized by hemicellulose, which enabled them to form as a compound and increased their dispersibility in water. The electronic properties of DWCNT network on cellulose paper were investigated. The measurements show relatively good electrical conduction of the as-prepared samples with the lowest sheet resistance of about 178 Omega/square. Moreover, the flexibility of the DWCNT paper while bending at different conditions was examined and their relative conductivity was observed with a little deviation, indicating of great foldable properties. The results demonstrate that hemicellulose works well as a water-based dispersant without significant effect on the electrical properties of the DWCNT films on cellulose paper and can be further improved toward green and flexible paper-based electronic applications.

Automated summary

A highly conductive paper was successfully prepared by coating double-walled carbon nanotubes on cellulose fibers, which were non-covalently functionalized by hemicellulose to form a compound with increased dispersibility. The electronic properties of the DWCNT network on cellulose paper showed good electrical conduction with a low sheet resistance. The flexibility of the DWCNT paper was examined while bending under different conditions, demonstrating great foldable properties with little deviation in relative conductivity.