The effects of DMSO on structure and properties of PVA/PEDOT:PSS blended fiber

Abstract

In the present study, novel strong and conductive blended fibers composed of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were successfully fabricated via a wet-spinning process using spinning formulation prepared by doping DMSO into PVA/PEDOT:PSS aqueous solution. The effects of DMSO on structure and properties of PVA/PEDOT:PSS blended fibers were systematically investigated in detail by analyzing the changes in electrical conductivity, aggregation structure, conformational PEDOT chains, morphology and mechanical properties. The results showed that doping of DMSO induced significant conformational changes in PEDOT chains which in turn led to significant enhancement in electrical conductivity and smoother surface morphology as well as better mechanical properties of PVA/PEDOT:PSS blended fibers. The resultant DMSO-doped PVA/PEDOT:PSS blended conductive fibers exhibited an enhanced electrical conductivity up to 21.16 S cm-1. In addition, as the doping concentration of DMSO increased, the surface of blended fibers became less fluted and smoother. The Young’s modulus and tensile strength increased from 3.5 GPa and 115 MPa to 4.95 GPa and 145 MPa respectively, while the elongation at break decreased from 25 % to 17 %.