Mechanical and electrical properties of carbon nanotube fibers from impregnation with poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(acrylic acid) and subsequent thermal condensation

Abstract

Sequential impregnation of a composite of poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(acrylic acid) (PVA-PAA) into carbon-nanotube fibers (CNTFs) and thermal condensation were investigated as a simple and efficient continuous textile engineering technique to prepare mechanically and electrically reinforced CNTFs. The CNTFs that were physically impregnated with PVA-PAA (PI-CNTF-(PVA/PAA)) and the chemically crosslinked CNTF (CL-CNTF-(PVA/PAA)) exhibited tensile strengths that were approximate to 1.6 and approximate to 2.1 times higher, respectively, and Young's moduli that were approximate to 1.3 and approximate to 2.3 times higher, respectively, than those of direct-spun CNTFs. The electrical conductivity of PI-CNTF-(PVA/PAA) and CL-CNTF-(PVA/PAA) had values that were approximate to 1.5 and approximate to 1.7 times higher, respectively, than that of raw CNTFs. Moreover, the chemically crosslinked networks of CL-CNTF-(PVA/PAA) resulting from the heat treatment enhanced the water resistance of the composite. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:971-977, 2018. (c) 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers