Films, buckypapers and fibers from clay, chitosan and carbon nanotubes

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.