Tailoring the electrical conductivity of carboxymethyl cellulose/sodium alginate polymer composite films with chromium chloride doping toward solid-state electrolyte applications

• Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and sodium alginate (SA) polymer composite films in the form of (100- x ) wt% CMC/SA, doped with different amounts of chromium chloride (CrCl 3 ; x = 0, 10, 20, and 40 wt%), were produced via the solution-casting route. • Various characterization techniques were applied to assess the structural, optical, and electrical properties of the prepared films. • The addition of CrCl 3 significantly improved the optical and electrical properties of the polymer composite films.