A novel three-dimensional graphene/bacterial cellulose nanocomposite prepared by in situ biosynthesis

Graphene has been widely used to reinforce various hydrogels while there is no report on the composite hydrogels of bacterial cellulose (BC) and graphene. In this work, a graphene/BC (GE/BC) nanocomposite hydrogel was prepared by in situ biosynthesis. The morphology and structure of the obtained GE/BC nanocomposite were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, and Raman. Results showed that the presence of graphene in the culture medium of BC changed the crystalline structure of BC while the in situ biosynthesis process had no influence on the structure of graphene. It was found that graphene nanoplates were uniformly dispersed in the three-dimensional (3D) BC matrix and tightly bound by BC nanofibers. This unique 3D structure will impart the GE/BC nanocomposite with excellent mechanical, electrical, and biological