Abstract
In many textile fields, such as industrial structures or clothes, one way to detect a specific liquid leak is the electrical conductivity variation of a yarn. This yarn can be developed using melt spun of Conductive Polymer Composites (CPCs), which blend insulating polymer and electrically conductive fillers. This study examines the influence of the proportions of an immiscible thermoplastic/elastomer blend for its implementation and its water detection. The thermoplastic polymer used for the detection property is the polyamide 6.6 (PA6.6) filled with enough carbon nanotubes (CNT) to exceed the percolation threshold. However, the addition of fillers decreases the polymer fluidity, resulting in the difficulty to implement the CPC. Using an immiscible polymers blend with an elastomer, which is a propylene-based elastomer (PBE) permits to increase this fluidity and to create a flexible conductive monofilament. After characterizations (morphology, rheological and mechanical) of this blend (PA6.6CNT/PBE) in different proportions, two principles of water detection are established and carried out with the monofilaments: the principle of absorption and the short circuit. It is found that the morphology of the immiscible polymer blend had a significant role in the water detection.
Highlights
IntroductionThe development of new detectors in the smart textile fields has been increasing
In the last decade, the development of new detectors in the smart textile fields has been increasing
The intelligent composite membranes are composed of two linked parts: the matrix, which is the resin, or the concrete reinforced by textile structure including smart filaments, which detect problems
Summary
The development of new detectors in the smart textile fields has been increasing. A strong affinity between the polymer and the fluid allows this one to diffuse inside the CPC This absorption phenomenon causes the swelling of the matrix and, the variation of the interparticular distances, which induces the CPC electrical conductivity variation. This property of absorption to detect fluids is not yet commonly used in industry but is more at the research stage in the relevant literature. A polypropylene-based elastomer (PBE) is added to the blend by a second extrusion in different proportions to add enough flexibility [27] to not break inside the resin when it cracks It permits to improve the mechanical property of the water detector filament [44]. Two principles are investigated for the water detection: the principle of absorption and the short circuit
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