Conductive and sensing performance of polypyrrole composited elastic filaments by template synthesis

Abstract

In order to prepare conductive elastic yarns with good conductivity, high sensitivity and flexibility, PPy composite PET/PTT (polyethylene terephthalate/polytrimethylene terephthalate) filaments was prepared with MO (methyl orange), AQS (anthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid sodium salt) and LGS (sodium lignin sulfonate) as soft templates respectively. Conductive performances were characterized by testing resistance, reproducibility, strain-resistance relationship, sensitivity and resistance stability. The surface morphology and chemical composition were characterized by SEM, AFM and FTIR. Results showed different soft templates can produce PPy with different sizes and microscopic morphologies, and PET/PTT filaments with template-free method had the largest roughness. For AQS and LGS templates, the conductive resistance showed a decline with the increase of strain. The maximum sensitivity coefficient was 4.19 at 10% strain when MO template was used. PPy/PET/PTT filament prepared by AQS method had the best conductive resistance reproducibility. The conductive resistance of PPy composite filaments was stable in air after the initial increase. These PPy composite PET/PTT elastic filaments will be hopefully used as flexible sensors for smart textiles in the future.