Polypyrrole and cellulose nanofiber based composite films with improved physical and electrical properties for electromagnetic shielding applications

Polypyrrole (PPy) and cellulose nanofiber (CNF) based conducting composite films were synthesized using two new approaches, in-situ polymerization of pyrrole onto cellulose nanopaper (PPy/CNP) and polyvinyl alcohol coated cellulose nanopaper (PPy/PVA-CNP). Significant improvement in the conductivity, tensile strength, water resistance, and electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (SE) was observed for these composite films compared to commonly used in-situ nanofiber (ISF) approach, where PPy is coated on nanofibers prior to film preparation. Maximum improvement in conductivity, SE and tensile strength of PPy/PVA-CNP compared to ISF films was attributed to highly uniform and compact PPy coating and reduced porosity. SE of -23 dB (thickness upto 138.4 μm) and tensile strength of 103.8 MPa for PPy/PVA-CNP films are the highest values found in the literature for PPy and CNF based composite films at a comparable thickness. These new approaches could enable a scalable preparation of flexible conducting composite films with superior physical and electrical properties for EMI shielding applications.