Preparation of CNC-dispersed Fe3O4 nanoparticles and their application in conductive paper

•An example of using CNC as templates to prepare Fe3O4 NPs was given.•Fe3O4/CNC composites prepared are stable and are suited for direct application.•Fe3O4 NPs can be surface-coated onto paper to produce conductive paper.

Well-dispersed Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by a co-precipitation method in the presence of cellulose nano-crystals (CNC) as the template. The thus prepared Fe3O4 NPs were then used as a coating agent for the preparation of conductive paper. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results revealed that the Fe3O4 NPs were immobilized on the CNC through interactions between the hydroxyl groups of CNC and Fe3O4. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images showed that the Fe3O4 NPs prepared in the presence of CNC can be dispersed in the CNC network, while the Fe3O4 NPs prepared in the absence of CNC tended to aggregate in aqueous solutions. The conductivity of the Fe3O4 NPs coated paper can reach to 0.0269 S/m at the coating amount of 14.75 g/m2 Fe3O4/CNC nanocomposites. Therefore, the thus obtained coated paper can be potentially used as anti-static packaging material in the packaging field.