Preparation, Characterization and Electromagnetic Shielding Effectiveness of Conductive Polythiophene/Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Composite Fibers

Abstract

Conductive polythiophene (PTh)/poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) composite fibers were prepared by polymerization of thiophene in the presence of PET fibers in acetonitrile medium using FeCl3. The effects of polymerization conditions such as oxidant/monomer mol ratio and polymerization temperature and time on PTh content and surface electrical resistivity of PTh/PET composite fiber were investigated in detail. It was observed that the usage of preswelled PET fibers in dichloromethane increased the PTh content and decreased surface resistivity of composite fiber. Composite fiber having the highest PTh content (5.7%) and the lowest surface resistivity (80 kΩ) was obtained at 20°C with 1.25 M FeCl3 and 0.42 M thiophene concentrations. The washing effects of laundering detergent and dry cleaning liquid on surface resistivity of composite fibers were investigated. The electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (EMSE) and relative shielding efficiency by absorption and reflection of composite fibers were measured in the radio and microwave frequency range. The results show that the EMSE values decreased with increasing frequency from radio waves to microwaves with an attenuation of 21 dB to 4 dB.