Electrically conductive and strong cellulose-based composite fibers reinforced with multiwalled carbon nanotube containing multiple hydrogen bonding moiety

Highly conductive and strong composite fibers based on cellulose and multiwalled carbon nanotube with multiple hydrogen bonding moiety (MWCNT-MHB) were manufactured via a facile organic solvent-based solution spinning. The microstructure, molecular interaction, mechanical and electrical properties of the composite fibers were investigated as a function of MWCNT-MHB content (0.5–30.0 wt%). The FT-IR spectra of the composite fibers revealed the existence of the specific interaction between cellulose backbone and MWCNT-MHB via hydrogen bonding. The MWCNT-MHB was dispersed uniformly in the cellulose fiber matrix, which was confirmed by SEM images of the cross-section and longitudinal surfaces for the composite fibers. Accordingly, the composite fibers with different MWCNT-MHB contents exhibited high performance in tensile mechanical properties such as tensile strength of 156–278 MPa, failure strain of 3.7–7.0%, and initial modulus of 11.3–13.9 GPa. In addition, the electrical conductivity of the composite fibers increased significantly from ∼10−8 S/cm to ∼100 S/cm with the increase of the MWCNT-MHB loading from 0.5 wt% to 30.0 wt%, particularly at a certain MWCNT content between 0.5 and 1.0 wt%. The composite fiber with 30.0 wt% MWCNT-MHB, which has high electrical conductivity of 2.7 S/cm and tensile modulus of ∼12.5 GPa, could be thus used for electrically conductive wire and electric heating element for smart textiles.