POLYANILINE-ENHANCED SILVER NANOPARTICLE DISPERSION ON CELLULOSE FOR ADVANCED BIOSENSING MATERIALS

Cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer in nature, exhibits promising characteristics for industrial applications such as biosensors, films, and food packaging due to its biodegradability, biocompatibility, and mechanical strength. Advanced studies combine cellulose with polyaniline (PANI) or silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to pursue more efficient biosensors. While PANI provides greater electrical sensitivity and chemical interaction with biomolecules, AgNPs enhance electrical conductivity. The present study compared two methods of incorporating PANI and AgNPs onto the cellulose surface. For this purpose, characterizations were performed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to evaluate the best methodology for substrate incorporation without nanoparticle agglomeration. It was observed that by initially introducing PANI as described in methodology 1, this polymer acts as a stabilizer for AgNPs, increasing their dispersion on the cellulose surface.