An eco-friendly method to enhance optical and electrical properties of conducting polymers by means of carboxymethyl cellulose

Abstract

In this work, an eco-friendly method is proposed for the electro-synthesis of conductive polymers with superior optical and electrical properties by means of CMC in aqueous media. For this purpose, an aqueous dispersion of a water-insoluble monomer namely 4-amino-N-[2,5-di(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-pyrrol-1-yl]benzamide (TPB) has been prepared by attaching it to CMC via hydrogen bonds and the conductive composite film (PTPB–CMC) has been obtained by electropolymerization. The TPB monomer has been chosen to interact with the CMC via hydrogen bonds which ensures to obtain dispersion with the CMC and also increase the compatibility of its polymer in the composite structure. As a result of the electrochemical, spectroelectrochemical investigation and surface morphology analyses of the obtained conductive polymer, it has been found that anionic CMC makes improvements in the electrical, optical and mechanical properties of the polymer by making the plasticizing effect and acting as a dopant. Furthermore, in the presence of nanocarbon materials on electrode surface, it has been determined that the polymerization potential is reduced and more stable and long-lasting polymeric films which are crucial for technological applications have been obtained.