Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a biopolymer with interesting properties, such as biocompatibility, high tensile strength, high absorption capacity, water retention and high crystallinity. Nanoparticles of titanium dioxide (TiO2) are extremely important in electrical applications, photocatalysis, sensors and biomedical areas. Multifunctional materials, based on bacterial cellulose, with differentiated properties can be designed from the BC/TiO2 nanocomposite by ex situ method of sol-gel immersion. It was manufactured as a nanocomposite consisting of BC/TiO2 hydrogel. Characterizations were carried out by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The morphological analysis of nanocomposite revealed the existence of molecular interaction and adhesion between TiO2 nanoparticles and cellulosic nanofibers matrix, where the presence of Ti peaks in EDS spectra was discovered, proving the successful incorporation of nanoparticles. The FTIR showed modification on the functional groups, suggesting interaction between the components. The manufacturing of a BC/TiO2 nanocomposite by method of sol-gel immersion has a great potential for future applications.

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Microbial fuel cells (MFC) are of great interest for new sources of renewable energies from the waste of biomass and debris. This work aimed was to develop an anode electrode of the carbon fiber‐embedded of bacterial cellulose/polyaniline (CF/BC/PANI) nanocomposite for MFC applications. For this purpose, carbon fiber was wrapped onto bacterial cellulose (BC) fibers network during the BC synthesis. The CF/BC/PANI was obtained by polyaniline polymerization on the BC nanofibers as a scaffold. To characterize the electrode, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis analysis were carried out. The electrical conductivity was determined by measuring the resistivity. MFC using the CF/BC/PANI electrode was monitored and the maximum current density generated was 0.009 mA/cm2. The results obtained from the CF/BC/PANI demonstrate great potential for the use as an MFC electrode, as well as a microenvironment favorable to a microbial biofilm formation.

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