Synthesis and characterization of proton-conducting membranes based on bacterial cellulose and human nail keratin

Abstract

In this work, proton-conducting membranes have been prepared by entrapping human nail keratin in bacterial cellulose at different mass ratios. Bacterial cellulose was obtained by fermenting coconut water with the Acetobacter xylinum bacterium, and keratin was obtained from human nails. The membrane is produced by the blending and heating process at a temperature of 40°C. FTIR spectroscopy showed the interaction between bacterial cellulose and human nail keratin at a peak area of 3,000–2,000 cm⁻¹. The X-ray diffraction analysis has confirmed the effect of keratin mass on the diffractogram pattern of the membranes. The maximum proton conductivity has been measured as 4.572 × 10⁻⁵ S·cm⁻¹ at 25°C and produces a degree of swelling of 32.50% for a mass ratio of bacterial cellulose/human nail keratin 4:1.