Electrically conductive textile coatings have been prepared by the addition of a dispersion of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT-PSS) and ethylene glycol to a polyurethane-based coating formulation. The formulations were designed to have similar viscosities, measured with a rheometer using a cone-and-plate set-up. The formulations were applied to woven poly(ethylene) terephthalate substrates using a direct coating method. The concentration PEDOT-PSS in the finished coatings varied between 0.7 and 6.2 wt%, the coating deposit between 19 and 155 g/m2 and the drying procedure between 4 hours at 20°C and 10 minutes at 150°C. Surface resistivity was measured with a ring probe and surface topology was addressed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The PEDOT-PSS concentration had a large effect on the resistivity, which dropped by five orders of magnitude with an increased concentration. The steepest decrease occurred between 1 and 3 wt% PEDOT-PSS, indicating a percolation threshold. An increased coating deposit resulted in a resistivity drop by a factor 10, but no significant effect on the resistivity of the samples could be ascertained by variation of the drying conditions when samples had been subjected to subsequent annealing.
Fibers produced by melt spinning of conductive polymer composites are attractive for several applications; the main drawback is however reduced processability at high filler concentrations. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are considered suitable fillers for conductive polymer composites, replacing conductive grades of carbon black (CB). In this study, the fiber-forming properties of conductive polymer composites based on a conductive grade of CB and two masterbatches with CNT in a polyethylene matrix were investigated. The CB was also used in a polypropylene matrix for comparison. The rheological properties of the filler-containing melts in shear and their extensional behavior were evaluated. A piston-driven device was used to extrude the molten materials through a capillary; different capillary geometries were tested. Fibers were produced at various draw ratios, and their conductivity was determined. To assess the ultimate extensibility, a modified Rheotens method was used. The results showed that a conductive CB grade can have a lower percolation threshold and higher conductivity than a material with CNT. Conductivity decreased with increasing melt draw ratio for both types of fillers. The spinnability of the materials decreased with increasing concentration of filler material and correlations were found between spinnability and melt elasticity.
Melt spinning of conductive polymer composites (CPCs) is coupled with some difficulties such as a decrease of conductivity upon drawing and a reduced spinnability with increasing filler concentration. Applying bicomponent technology may provide the possibility to produce fibers from CPCs with a high filler concentration. A pilot-scale bicomponent melt spinning set-up was used to produce core/sheath fibers with fiber titers between 13 and 47 dtex. The sheath material was polyamide 6 (PA6) or polypropylene (PP) and the core material was a CPC. Two CPCs were used, polypropylene (PP) with carbon black (CB), denoted by PP/CB, and polyethylene (PE) with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT), denoted by PE/MWNT. The results showed that both materials could be used with a filler concentration of 10 wt % to obtain melt draw ratios up to 195. The volumetric fraction of core material in the bicomponent structure was 28%. A heat treatment of PP/CB fibers restored the conductivity to the level of the undrawn material, corresponding to an increase in conductivity by a factor 5. The same heat treatment had a positive effect on the conductivity of PE/ MWNT fibers although the conductivity was not restored.
Textile coatings with electrical conductivity were obtained by the addition of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)-poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and ethylene glycol (EG) to a polyurethane (PU)-based coating formulation. Variations of the coating formulation, the coating amount and the drying conditions, as well as the absence of an annealing step, were investigated. The coated fabrics were evaluated for tear strength and bending rigidity as well as surface resistivity and appearance before and after Martindale abrasion. A high proportion of PEDOT:PSS dispersion in the formulation and the presence of EG provided low surface resistivity. This composition resulted in softer samples with higher tear strength than those containing more PU-binder. All coatings proved to withstand abrasion to a similar extent. The surface resistivity increased gradually with the abrasion, about one half order of magnitude, except for those coatings that had been subjected to a faster drying process, where the surface resistivity increased somewhat faster.
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