Fabrication and characterization of bacterial cellulose/carbon nanotube composite conductive film and its impact on the luminance of flexible electroluminescent devices as the bottom electrode

Abstract

Flexible conductive films (BC/CNTs) were fabricated via a straightforward vacuum filtration method using bacterial cellulose (BC) as the substrate and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as the conductive filler. The resulting BC/CNTs composite films were characterized for the morphology, structure, thermal properties and electrical conductivity using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The study revealed that, the addition of SWCNTs significantly improved the mechanical properties of films. Among the BC/CNTs composite films, the one with the SWCNTs concentration of 0.36 wt% exhibited the best mechanical properties. Incorporating SWCNTs also enhanced the thermal stability and improved electrical conductivity of the composite films. Notably, higher SWCNTs concentrations led to better thermal stability and lower electrical resistance. Ultimately, these BC/CNTs composite films were successfully employed in flexible electroluminescent devices, demonstrating good luminescence.