Development of Conductive Bacterial Cellulose Composites: An Approach to Bio-Based Substrates for Solar Cells

Bacterial cellulose and polyaniline was successfully combined to form a composite material. Polyaniline was inserted into the porous structure of the bacterial cellulose network. When an external electric field was applied, the polyaniline existed as a polar cluster. FTIR results illustrated the formation of an H-bond between a hydroxyl group and an amine group of the bacterial cellulose and polyaniline, respectively. XRD results showed that crystalline phase of composite was similar to neat bacterial cellulose. The composites also exhibited a uniform surface with an average roughness of 200 nm. They also presented an excellent thermal stability up to 300 degrees C. A preliminary experiment on the frequency dependence of the dielectric properties was evaluated. The remarkable characteristics of the composites demonstrate that they are a suitable candidate for use as dielectric materials in electronic devices.