High Performance Fibers of Conducting Polymers

Abstract

We present a summary of our recent results on the electrical and mechanical properties of fibers made from poly(2,5-dimethoxy-p-phenylene vinylene), PDMPV and poly(2,5-thienylene vinylene), PTV, using the precursor polymer methodology, and from polyaniline, PANI, using the method of processing as polyblends with poly-@-phenylene terephthalamide), PPTA, from sulfuric acid. The solubility of both PANI and PFTA in H2S04 presents a unique opportunity for co-dissolving and blending PANI and PPTA to exploit the excellent mechanical properties of PPTA and the electrical conductivity of PANI; we summarize the electrical and mechanical properties of such composite fibers. For PDMPV and PTV fibers, we find a strong correlation between the conductivity and the tensile strength (and/or modulus), and we show from basic theoretical concepts that this relationship is an intrinsic feature of conducting polymers.

Advanced syntheses and microfabrications of conjugated polymers, C60-containing polymers and carbon nanotubes for optoelectronic applications

“…For example, Heeger and coworkers [501,502] have prepared highly oriented polymer blends of MEH-PPV and ultrahigh-molecularweight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) by processing the composite material into a gel intermediate state FIGURE 15. Polarized UV/VIS and IR spectra of the oriented liquid crystalline PPV H1 in the parallel (II) and perpendicular (c) directions to the rubbing axis [479].…”

Can the Structures of Semicrystalline Polymers be Controlled Using Interfacial Crystallographic Interactions?

“…The chain alignment of polymeric materials in the condensed state also has a remarkable influence on their properties. For example, an increase in the electrical conductivity of more than a factor of 100 was reported for doped and well‐aligned conjugated macromolecules when compared with their randomly oriented counterparts 6–8. For semicrystalline polymers, the multiscale structures have a pronounced influence on their properties and/or functionality.…”

Preparation and Self‐Repairing of Highly Oriented Structures of Ultrathin Polymer Films

“…As examples, while the tensile strength of polyethylene (PE) can increase from 10 MPa for the non‐oriented sample to 3 GPa for the highly oriented one, an increase from 90 MPa to 90 GPa is seen in the modulus . Also an increase of more than a factor of 100 has been reported for the electrical conductivity of doped and aligned conjugated macromolecules compared with their non‐oriented counterparts . Therefore, processing of highly oriented structure of polymers has drawn much attention.…”