Preparation and characterization of conductive nanostructured particles based on polyaniline and cellulose nanofibers.

Conducting polyaniline (PANI) and cellulose coated PANI (PANI-NC) nanostructures with sizes of about 80-100 nm, doped with hydrochloric acid were synthesized by a sonochemical method. Both type of particles resulted electrically conductive (direct current conductivity of 0.059 and 0.075 S/cm for PANI and PANI-NC structures, respectively) and could be dispersed easily in water, leading to green colored suspensions that remain stable for more than 4 h. The morphology, crystallinity, electrical conductivity (σ) and thermal stability of the obtained PANI based structures were investigated and compared. Furthermore, UV-Vis spectroscopy and rheology of water suspensions were used to explain the measured properties. Although the concentration of cellulose fibers used to synthesize the PANI-NC structures was very low, important differences respect to the neat PANI fibers regarding the microstructure, electrical conductivity and suspension behavior were found.