Abstract
Highly conductive nanofibers with 1570 S/m were obtained from an electrospun solution of polymer containing multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Homogeneous dispersion of high concentrations of MWCNTs was achieved by attaching poly(styrenesulfonic acid graft aniline) (PSS-g-ANI), an amphiphilic surfactant, to the MWCNT surface. The hydrophilic sulfonic acid group facilitated the dissolution of PSS-g-ANI-grafted MWCNTs in a polyethylene oxide (PEO) solution up to 6.7 wt% MWCNT. To our knowledge, this is the highest level of MWCNT doping attained in a solution designed for electrospinning. With the incorporation of PSS-g-ANI, the concentration of MWCNTs embedded in the electrospun nanofibers increased. More importantly, the alignment of MWCNTs along the nanofiber axis increased significantly, as confirmed by observed birefringence under crossed polarizers. The combination of higher doping levels and better alignment afforded highly conductive nanofibers suitable for electronic nanodevices.
Highlights
The importance of nanofibers has been emphasized through recent developments in nanotechnology
Sundaray et al reported an increase in nanofiber conductivity from 4.5 × 10 3 to 5.3 × 10 2 S/m as the concentration of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in the polymer increased from 0.05 to 2 wt%, respectively.[3]
The morphologies of nanofibers electrospun from PSS-g-ANI-grafted MWCNT/PEO solutions were examined by SEM
Summary
The importance of nanofibers has been emphasized through recent developments in nanotechnology. Poly(styrene sulfonic acid graft aniline) (PSS-g-ANI), an amphiphilic surfactant, was used to disperse high concentrations of CNTs throughout the polymer solution. A simple method was used to measure the electrical conductivity of single electrospun nanofibers[13] using a silicon wafer substrate with an array of gold contacts.
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