Influence of experimental conditions on conductivity of electrospun nanocomposite fibers

Abstract

This work represents the in-house chemical synthesis of silver (Ag) nanoparticles, electrospinning of the synthesized Ag nanoparticles and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) by using optimized parameters and then air spraying different amounts of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on top of the prepared electrospun Ag-PVDF films, to check the electrical conductivity of the films. The morphology of the prepared sample films were examined by standard characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) to carry out the elemental analysis or chemical characteristics of the films. The temperature vs resistance behavior of the prepared films depicted linear variation in temperature with temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) α = − 0.43 %/°C and − 0.63 %/°C, for the Ag-PVDF films having 0.16 mg and 0.8 mg MWCNTs sprayed, respectively, which are comparable to TCR values of reported temperature sensors. The mechanical properties of the films were also determined using tensile tests, which showed great improvement in the tensile strength and Young’s modulus for the MWCNTs sprayed films. These results justify the potential of these hybrid nanocomposite films for energy, environment and sensing (especially temperature sensing) related applications.