Proton-conducting Microcrystalline Cellulose Doped with Imidazole. Thermal and Electrical Properties

• A microcrystalline cellulose was doped with imidazole molecules
• Thermal and electrical properties of newly synthesized material were determined
• The doped cellulose exhibits four times higher conductivity than a pure cellulose
• The highest proton conductivity of about 2 × 10−4 S/m was measured at 160 °C
• The thermal stability was determined to be in the range from 110 to about 150 °C

ABSTRACTA new biodegradable polymeric material (Cell-Im) consisting of microcrystalline cellulose (Cell) and imidazole (Im) dopant was successfully synthesized. The thermal properties and proton conductivity of Cell-Im were determined and compared with that of pure microcrystalline cellulose. It was found that the Cell-Im exhibits close to four orders of magnitude higher conductivity than a pure cellulose sample, up to approximately 2 × 10−4 S/m at 160 °C under anhydrous conditions. Thermal stability of Cell-Im was confirmed above water boiling point in a temperature range from 110 to about 150 °C. The Cell-Im is inexpensive to obtain, non-hazardous and environmentally friendly and can have potential for possible application as a solid electrolyte in electrochemical devices.

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