Preparation of Silver-Plated Para-Aramid Fiber by Employing Low-Temperature Oxygen Plasma Treatment and Dopamine Functionalization

Abstract

Direct electroless silver plating of para-aramid (PPTA) is difficult due to its extremely low surface chemical energy. In order to facilitate the deposition of silver nanoparticles and to enhance the washing fastness, oxygen plasma treatment and dopamine modification were conducted before silver plating of PPTA fibers. Various techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) were used to characterize the surface morphology, chemical composition and thermal stability of the silver-plated PPTA fibers. Electrical resistance and silver content of the silver-coated PPTA fibers before and after standard washing were also studied. The results showed that silver nanoparticles were successfully coated onto the surface of PPTA fibers with and without plasma treatment, but the coating continuity and the electrical conductivity of the silver-coated PPTA fibers were greatly enhanced with the assistance of plasma treatment. It was also demonstrated that the washing fastness of silver-coated PPTA fibers was improved after plasma treatment as indicated by electrical resistance and continuity of the silver nanoparticles after various washing cycles. It was found that the electrical resistance of plasma-treated PPTA-PDA/Ag fibers prepared at an AgNO3 concentration of 20 g/L reached 0.89 Ω/cm and increased slightly to 0.94 Ω/cm after 10 standard washing cycles. The silver-coated PPTA fibers also showed stable electrical conductivity under 250 repeated stretching-releasing cycles at a strain of 3%.

Silver Nanowires and Silanes in Hybrid Functionalization of Aramid Fabrics

“…Due to the smooth and chemically inert surface, they show poor adhesion to modifiers. In order to improve the functionalization efficiency, an initial surface modification is performed through plasma activation and deposition of a polydopamine thin film by oxidative polymerization of dopamine [ 9 ]. The activation increases the free surface energy of aramid fibers and creates more reactive sites, enabling better binding between the polydopamine and the aramid surface [ 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”

“…In order to improve the functionalization efficiency, an initial surface modification is performed through plasma activation and deposition of a polydopamine thin film by oxidative polymerization of dopamine [ 9 ]. The activation increases the free surface energy of aramid fibers and creates more reactive sites, enabling better binding between the polydopamine and the aramid surface [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Polydopamine is a biopolymer that forms a coating on the fiber surface through induced dopamine oxidative self-polymerization.…”

“…Studies on the adhesion mechanism of the polydopamine film show that functional groups create covalent and non-covalent connections with inorganic or organic materials [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. This type of preliminary modification increases the deposition efficiency of silver nanoparticles and improves the durability of the coating [ 9 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Silver nanowires (AgNWs) are one type of nanomodifier used for the multifunctionalization of textile materials.…”

Application of Fragrance Microcapsules onto Cotton Fabric after Treatment with Oxygen and Nitrogen Plasma

“…During plasma treatment, the surface morphology of the treated samples is changed without affecting their bulk properties. Combination of changed morphology and activated surface allows increased embedment of nanoparticles, microcapsules, dyes, and other coatings [20][21][22][23][24][25]. The plasma used for the functionalization of textile surfaces has to be non-equilibrium, which means that electrons have to have few orders of magnitude higher temperature than ions or neutral species.…”

Highly Conductive Silver Nanoparticle-Functionalized Aramid Fiber Paper for Electrical Heaters with Rapid Response and Chemical Stability

“…As an alternative, electrical heaters based on conductive polymer composites have attracted increasing concerns in recent years [14][15][16] . Various conductive components including carbon nanotubes (CNTs) [17][18][19][20] , graphene [21][22][23][24] , MXene [25][26][27] , metal nanoparticles/nanowires [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37] have been widely used in fabricating conductive polymer composites. Among various conductive components, silver has the highest conductivity (1.65 × 10 -8 Ω•m of resistivity) and is preferred in fabricating conductive polymer composites for electrical heaters with high heating performances [29][30][31]35 .…”