Abstract
-
The mechanical and electrical characteristics of films, buckypapers and fiber
materials from combinations of clay, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and chitosan are described.
The rheological time-dependent characteristics of clay are maintained in clay–carbon
nanotube–chitosan composite dispersions. It is demonstrated that the addition of chitosan
improves their mechanical characteristics, but decreases electrical conductivity by
three-orders of magnitude compared to clay–CNT materials. We show that the electrical
response upon exposure to humid atmosphere is influenced by clay-chitosan interactions,
i.e., the resistance of clay–CNT materials decreases, whereas that of
clay–CNT–chitosan increases.