Incorporation of polyvinyl alcohol in bacterial cellulose/polypyrrole flexible conductive films to enhance the mechanical and conductive performance

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The integration of polypyrrole (PPy) into bacterial cellulose (BC) has provided significant conductivity and cost benefits. However, this combination has led to a reduction in mechanical properties, particularly in terms of elongation at break and tensile strength. This study investigated the enhancement of BC/PPy composite films by incorporating polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The resulting BC/PPy/PVA films demonstrated improvements in flexibility, tensile strength and thermal stability. Specifically, with 7 % PVA, the flexible films exhibited remarkable enhancements: tensile strength increased from 11.01 MPa (for BC/PPy) to 25.27 MPa and elongation at break rose from 5.81 % to 11.54 %. Additionally, the electrical conductivity of the BC/PPy/PVA films with a resistance of 38.5 Ω, surpassed that of the BC/PPy films. Furthermore, the equilibrium swelling water absorption rates of BC/PPy and BC/PPy/PVA films were 30.6 % and 81.4 %, respectively, with corresponding resistances of 530 Ω and 540 Ω. The variation in resistance between the dry and swollen states of the BC/PPy/PVA flexible conductive film resulted in differences in the brightness of the small light bulb. These findings highlighted the synergistic effects of PVA within the BC/PPy matrix, presenting a promising avenue for developing high-performance conductive materials suitable for flexible electronics and wearable devices.