The Electrical Conductivity of a Bacterial Cellulose and Polyaniline Composite Significantly Improved by Activated Carbon: A Nano-Based Platform for Electrodes

Abstract

In this study, we successfully fabricated a composite sheet comprising bacterial cellulose (BC) and polyaniline (PAN), integrated with activated carbon (AC), to produce electrodes in a supercapacitor. The electrical conductivity level can be adjusted by adding AC into the composite. FTIR revealed hydrogen bonding interactions between the -OH groups of the bacterial cellulose and the -NH groups of the polyaniline. The XRD pattern showed the characteristic peak of activated carbon. The SEM showed that PAN was filled into the porous network of the bacterial cellulose. The AC was randomly distributed onto the composite’s surface. The composite was thermally stable up to 200 °C. The electrical conductivity was reported to be 1.5–3.5 S/m when AC was added from 0.2 to 1 wt%. Furthermore, the specific capacitances (Cs), energy densities (Es), and power density (P) were typically reported to be 30–70 F/g, 4–11 Wh/kg, and 400–700 W/kg, respectively. Moreover, the optimization of the activated carbon ratio led to a reduction in the charge transfer resistance (Rct), as demonstrated by a Nyquist plot analysis, thereby enhancing electrical conductivity. Overall, the bacterial cellulose and polyaniline composite sheet, incorporating activated carbon, exhibited excellent properties, making it a promising candidate for bioelectrode supercapacitor applications in the near future.