Abstract
Stable lyotropic chiral nematic liquid crystals (N*-LCs) of cellulose nanocrystals (CNs) were prepared via hydrolysis using sulfuric acid. The lyotropic N*-LCs were used as an asymmetric reaction field to synthesize polyaniline (PANI) onto CNs by in situ polymerization. As a primary step, we examined the mesophase transition of the N*-LCs of CNs suspension before and after in situ polymerization of aniline (ANI) by polarizing optical microscopy. The structure of nanocomposites of PANI/CNs was investigated at a microscopic level using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Influence of the CNs-to-ANI ratio on the morphology of the nanocomposites was also investigated at macroscopic level by scanning electron and transmission electron microscopies. It is found that the weight ratio of CNs to aniline in the suspension significantly influenced the size of the PANI particles and interaction between CNs and PANI. Moreover, electrical properties of the obtained PANI/CNs films were studied using standard four-probe technique. It is expected that the lyotropic N*-LCs of CNs might be available for an asymmetric reaction field to produce novel composites of conjugated materials.
Highlights
Conductive polymers have been extensively investigated and widely used in such products as electrolytic capacitors and secondary batteries [1]
We examined the mesophase transition of the nematic liquid crystals (N∗-LCs) of cellulose nanocrystals (CNs) suspension before or after in situ polymerization of aniline by polarizing optical microscopy (POM)
Note that as the concentration of the CNs in the suspensions increases, the helical pitch observed in POM decreases gradually
Summary
Conductive polymers have been extensively investigated and widely used in such products as electrolytic capacitors and secondary batteries [1]. Conductive polymers are being studied for their use as materials in molecular devices, called the ultimate electronic devices [2]. Conductive polymers offer the promise of achieving next-generation displays and energy sources [3]. Many conductive polymers have been developed for various applications, polyaniline (PANI) has received great attention due to its simple and facile synthesis, good environment stability, and controllability. Nanocomposites of conducting polymer and cellulose have attracted much attention because it has recently been shown that it is possible to manufacture redox polymer-based electrodes and batteries with high capacities and very good recycling performances [4,5,6]
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