Conductivity decay of cellulose–polypyrrole conductive paper composite prepared by in situ polymerization method

Cellulose–polypyrrole (PPy) conductive paper composite was prepared using an in situ chemical polymerization process, and its conductivity stability was investigated. When the PPy-coated pulp fibers were dipped in an alkaline solution or the paper composite was exposed to an alkaline environment, the conductivity stability became poor. Contrarily, if the PPy-coated pulp fibers were dipped in an acidic solution or the paper composite was exposed to an acidic environment, the conductivity stability would be improved. The conductivity decay occurred when the paper composite was stored in air atmosphere at ambient temperature. The rate of conductivity decay also depended on temperature and atmosphere. The conductivity decay in air occurred quicker than that in nitrogen, especially at elevated temperature. The PPy-coated pulp fibers and the paper composite were characterized by TGA, XPS, SEM and SEM-EDX analyses to elucidate the mechanism of conductivity decay of the paper composite.