Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes-Embedded Electrospun Bacterial Cellulose Nanofibers

Abstract

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were embedded in electrospun bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofibers, which were prepared using an electrospinning method. In this study, Gluconacetobacter xylinum BRC5 was employed to produce a hydrogel-like bacterial cellulose (BC) sheet. BC was difficult to process in the solution stat because of the large concentration of intra- or inter-molecular hydrogen bonds. In this study, an ionic liquid, 1-allyl-3-methyl-imidazolium chloride, was used to dissolve BC. To form BC nanofibers, 5 wt% BC solutions both with and without MWCNTs were electrospun. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy showed that the MWCNTs were embedded and well aligned along the fiber axis. The crystalline polymorph transformed from cellulose I (pristine BC) to cellulose II (electrospun regenerated BC fibers). Moreover, the tensile strength and modulus of the MWCNT-embedded electrospun BC nanofibers increased by approximately 290% and 280%, respectively. Additionally, the thermal stability and electrical conductivity of the MWCNT-embedded electrospun BC nanofibers also increased compared to pristine BC.