Boosting through-plane electrical conductivity: chitosan composite films with carbon-sepiolite and multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Flexible and electrically conductive materials are gaining significant attention across various domains, notably in electronics, biomedicine and food industry. One promising strategy involves the integration of electrically conductive nanostructures into a polymeric matrix to fabricate composite materials. However, achieving uniform through-plane electrical conductivity remains a challenge due to the preferential alignment of carbon nanostructures in the in-plane direction. Herein, we report the development of electrically conductive chitosan (CS)-based biocomposite films incorporating a multicomponent filler system. By combining carbon supported on sepiolite clay (CARSEP) with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), it is aimed to facilitate an interconnected distribution in both in-plane and through-plane directions. The optimized film, featuring a CS/CARSEP/MWCNT mass ratio of 50/40/10, exhibited a maximum electrical conductivity of 55.5 S/m and 0.1 S/m in the in-plane and through-plane directions, respectively. Additionally, migration studies demonstrated the absence of harmful compounds upon heating the film up to 60 °C in air, ethanol, or hexane. These findings highlight the potential of these flexible and electrically conductive biocomposite films, primarily composed of biobased materials, for applications requiring through-plane electrical conductivity.