Electrical conductivity of electrospun nanofiber mats of polyamide 6/polyaniline coated with nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes

Publication date: 5 March 2018
Source:Materials & Design, Volume 141
Author(s): João Paulo Ferreira Santos, Mohammad Arjmand, Guilherme Henrique França Melo, Kambiz Chizari, Rosario Elida Suman Bretas, Uttandaraman Sundararaj
Conductive nanostructures have emerged as the next generation of functional materials for electronic devices. In this work, electrospun nanofiber mats of polyamide 6/polyaniline (PA6/PAni), with high porosity and high surface area, coated with nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) were developed. Employing the chemical vapor deposition technique, N-CNTs were synthesized at various temperatures, e.g., 650, 750, 850, and 950°C. PA6 and PA6/PAni nanofiber mats were produced employing the electrospinning technique. The mats were then dipped in an aqueous suspension containing dispersed and stabilized N-CNTs. The results revealed that the presence of PAni enhanced the adsorption of N-CNTs on the surface of nanofiber mats, thereby improving their electrical conductivity. The highest conductivity was obtained when the mats were coated with N-CNT650. However, the impact of PAni on the conductivity was higher when the mats were coated with N-CNTs synthesized at higher temperatures, i.e., 10⁻¹²S/cm for PA6/N-CNT950 and 10⁻⁵S/cm for PA6/PAni/N-CNT950, an increase of seven orders of magnitude. It was concluded that the physical features and nitrogen content of N-CNTs had a significant impact on the electrical behavior of the developed mats. Furthermore, it was realized that the synergistic effect between PAni and N-CNT can be employed to build nanostructures with improved conductivity.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2m3M9dR