Electrically conducting nanobiocomposites using carbon nanotubes and collagen waste fibers

• Hybrid nanobiocomposite films prepared using collagen, guar gum and CNTs.
• Examined the effect of CNT doping on the properties of hybrid biocomposite films.
• Higher CNT loading improved the conductivity radically, especially for BCNT.
• The ability of developed hybrid films to lit up a LED lamp was demonstrated.
• The results suggest a new way to transform biowaste into advanced materials.

Electrically conducting hybrid biocomposite films were prepared using a simple and cost-effective method by incorporating different types of carbon nanotubes (XCNTs) viz., few walled carbon nanotube (FWCNT) and boron doped carbon nanotube (BCNT) into biopolymers. Collagen extracted from animal skin wastes was blended with guar gum and XCNTs in varying proportions to form flexible and electrically conducting hybrid films. We found that the electrical conductivity of both types of hybrid films increases radically as the XCNT loading increases. BCNT incorporated hybrid films show better electrical conductivity (3.0 × 10−1 S/cm) than their FWCNT loaded counter parts (4.8 × 10−4 S/cm) at a dosage of 2 wt.%. On the other hand, mechanical and other physical properties such as transparency, flexibility and surface smoothness of the developed hybrid films were affected as a function of XCNT concentration. We also demonstrated that the developed hybrid films lit up a LED lamp when inserted between batteries and the brightness of the emitted light depended on the XCNT loading. These results suggest a new way to transform an industrial biowaste into innovative advanced materials for applications in fields related to biomedicine, biosensors and electronics.

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