Using electrically conductive polyaniline/polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel electrodes to perform electrodeposition of polysaccharides

Here, electrically conductive polyaniline/polyvinyl alcohol (PANI/PVA) hydrogels were prepared. Subsequently, the PANI/PVA hydrogels were used as electrodes to perform electrodeposition of polysaccharides. The experimental results indicate that the resulting PANI/PVA hydrogel is homogeneous and stable. FTIR results suggest the existence of PANI in the hydrogel. XRD analysis suggests an amorphous structure of PANI in the hydrogel. EIS spectrum shows that the PANI/PVA hydrogel is conductive. SEM observation reveals that the PANI/PVA hydrogel presents a porous microstructure. The results from electrodeposition of polysaccharides illustrate that when using the PANI/PVA hydrogels as electrodes, both cathodic electrodeposition of chitosan and anodic electrodeposition of sodium alginate can be achieved, and codeposition of carbon dots (or sodium fluorescein) with polysaccharides can be conducted to obtain nanocomposite films (or fluorescent films). Moreover, the PANI/PVA hydrogel electrodes present good flexibility and formability, which can be conveniently employed to produce electrodeposited polysaccharide films with special shapes and three-dimensional shapes. In this study, for the first time the PANI/PVA hydrogel is utilized as electrode for electrodeposition of polysaccharides. Thus, this study develops a novel flexible electrode based on the electrically conductive hydrogel to perform electrodeposition of polysaccharides, which is promising for applications in functional films and flexible devices.