Development of Polypyrrole (PPy) and Regenerated Cellulose (RC) Based Composite Induced by Gamma Irradiation and Its Electrical Conductivity

Cellulose is extracted and purified from as-received sugarcane bagasse by alkaline treatment. Then, regenerated cellulose (RC) is successfully prepared by dissolving cellulose suspension into 1:1 (v/v) of NaOH/urea mixture. The evaluation of the transformation of RC is investigated by FTIR and XRD. It is observed that the peak at the wavenumber of 1453 cm-1 is presented due to C-H stretching of RC. It is related to intramolecular hydrogen bond. The crystallinity of cellulose is transformed from cellulose I to cellulose II. Gamma-irradiation technique is employed to induce the in situ polymerization of the polypyrrole (PPy) onto RC. The irradiation doses are ranged from 10-50 kGy without the addition of an oxidizing agent. The increase of PPy content results in the enhancement of wettability and electrical conductivity. However, the percentage of crystallinity is significantly decreased. With the optimum of 5 wt % of PPy onto RC, the percent of crystallinity, the content of nitrogen, contact angle, and electrical conductivity are found to be 28.5%, 0.87 wt %, 14.4 degrees, and 17.8 x 10-4 S center dot cm-1, respectively. The PPy/RC composite film is successfully developed through gamma-irradiation-induced in situ polymerization. This composite is remarkably considered as a great promise for potential candidate of bio-electrode in the near future.