A flexible, electrically conductive and low-cost composite sheet has been prepared combining multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and cellulose pulp using simple solution mixing method. The uniform attachment of MWCNTs on to the cellulose fibres of the composites lead to a gradual decline of the sheet resistance with an enhanced electrical conductivity. The crystallinity of the composites is also found to be increased. The composites remain thermallystable up to 550 K as well as demonstrate improved flame retardancy. The conducting CNT networks of the composites are not disrupted even after 600 bending cycles, indicating almost no loss of conductivity. This conducting and flexible composite sheet can be used in different energy storage devices.

Plasma polymerized 2-vinylpyridine (PP2VP) thin films have been synthesized under glow discharge using a capacitively coupled system. In the scanning electron microscope images, surface morphology of the PP2VP thin films isobserved to be very smooth and crack free. Fourier transform infrared spectra of the thin films clearly indicate that structural change occurs during the polymerization process. The information about the electronic structure and theexistence of both direct and indirect optical transitions in the PP2VP thin films have been ascertained by the ultraviolet– visible spectroscopic studies. The bandgaps for the allowed indirect and direct transitions of the as-deposited PP2VP thin films are obtained as 1.82 ± 0.10 and 3.30 ± 0.03 eV, respectively. To understand the optical response of the PP2VP thin films elaborately, different optical parameters, such as extinction coefficient, Urbach energy, refractive index, steepness parameter, optical conductivity, etc., are estimated.