The processing and properties of conductive polypropylene/polypyrrole composites

Polypropylene (PP) particles were chemically coated with polypyrrole (PPy). The content of polypyrrole varied from 0.8 to 7.6 wt.-%. Electrical conductivity of compression moulded samples depends on the concentration of polypyrrole and reached values from 4×10⁻¹⁰ to 5×10⁻³ S/cm, which is about 7 orders of magnitude higher than the conductivity in the blends prepared by mechanical mixing of PP and PPy in the same PPy concentration range. Highly conductive composites were also obtained from a mixture of coated and non-coated PP particles. The PP/PPy composites were characterized by elemental analysis, SEM and mechanical testing. The antistatic properties of PP/PPy composites were demonstrated. The electrical and mechanical properties depend on processing of composites.     

Preparation of raspberry-like polypyrrole composites with applications in catalysis

Raspberry-like composites were prepared by coating the silver/polypyrrole core/shell composites onto the surface of silica spheres via oxidation polymerization of pyrrole monomer with [Ag(NH₃)₂]⁺ ions as oxidants. The whole process allowed the absence of stabilizers, which greatly improved the quality of the conducting polymer composites. The morphology of the resulting composites was investigated, which can be described as raspberry-like; also, the structure and composition of the composites were characterized in detail. A possible formation mechanism was proposed. The present synthetic strategy substantially extended the scope of metal/conducting polymer composite synthesis. The raspberry-like composites exhibited excellent catalytic properties in the reduction of methylene blue dye with the reducing agent of sodium borohydride.     

Preparation and Properties of Conducting Polyolefins Composites

Abstract

The method of chemically initiated oxidative modification of polypropylene particles in suspension by pyrrole was used for preparation of conductive polypropylene/polypyrrole composites. Their properties were compared with another type of polypropylene/polypyrrole composites prepared by melt mixing of pure polypropylene with chemically synthesized polypyrrole and with polypropylene/carbon black composites also prepared by melt mixing.

The composites were characterized by elemental analysis and by rheological testing. The antistatic properties of prepared composites were demonstrated. The electrical and flow properties depend on the concentration of filler and on the processing conditions of composites.     

Microcontainers with electrochemically reversible permeability

The present study demonstrates a novel application of polyelectrolyte microcapsules as microcontainers with electrochemically reversible flux of redox active materials into and out of the capsule volume. Incorporation of the capsules inside the conducting polymer (polypyrrole) film results in a new composite electrode combining electrocatalytic and conducting properties of the polypyrrole with the storage and release properties of the capsules. This electrode, if loaded with electrochemical fuels, can possess electrochemically controlled switching between "open/closed" states of the capsule shell and be of practical interest for a new type of chemically rechargeable batteries or fuel cells. A special explanation for the potential depending loading and unloading of the capsule inner volume may be related to the fact that the polyelectrolyte capsules experience a potential gradient in the polypyrrole matrix within which the polyions of the shell can be moved.     

导电聚合物的电化学制备和电化学性质研究——中国科学院有机固体重点实验室导电聚合物电化学研究工作简介(I)

简要介绍本研究组自上世纪80年代以来在导电聚合物的电化学制备和电化学性质研究中取得的一些主要成果,包括吡咯电化学聚合条件的影响、电化学聚合反应机理及其反应动力学、导电聚吡咯的两种掺杂结构及其两步电化学氧化还原过程和电化学过氧化的机理、导电聚苯胺的电化学性质、导电聚合物稳定性的电化学解释等等.     

Study of life time and energy conversion efficiency in bi-layer and tri-layer polymer actuators

Devices based on bi-layer and tri-layer conducting polymer-polyethylene glycol (PEG) composite films of electrochemically synthesized polypyrrole-PEG/non-conducting adhesive polymer and polypyrrole-PEG/non-conducting adhesive polymer/polypyrrole-PEG were constructed. The bending motions of bi-layer and tri-layer composite films were investigated in 1.0 M LiClO₄ aqueous solution. The movement rate (rad s^?1), consumed electrical energy, consumed electrical charge and mechanical output energy of actuation of the bi-layer and tri-layer composite films both in free or in loading state were studied and compared with those of bi-layer and tri-layer prepared in the absence of PEG. At a given driving potential or driving current, the movement rates of bi-layer and tri-layer composite films in free and loading states are higher than those of bi- and tri-layer films synthesized without PEG respectively. The energy consumed per degree for bending actuation increases with the increase of loading weight and driving potential. The energy conversion efficiency decreases with the increase of driving potential. It was observed that the polypyrrole films prepared at low temperature with the optimized thickness in the presence of PEG plasticizer have shorter response time and longer cycle life than those of prepared without PEG. Study of Fatigue and training in the prepared artificial muscles reveals that the presence of PEG has considerable influence on the response of fabricated muscles.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Polyindole/Poly(vinyl acetate) Conducting Composites

Composites of a polyindole (PIN) and poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) were prepared chemically using FeCl₃ as an oxidant agent in anhydrous media. The composite compositions were altered by varying the indole monomer during preparation. The composites were characterized by FTIR and UV‐visible spectroscopies, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), stress‐strain experiments and conductivity measurements. Moreover, the film of PVAc and PIN/PVAc composites were prepared by casting on glass Petri dishes to examine their stress‐strain properties. PIN/PVAc composites are thermally more stable than PIN. It was found that the conductivities of PIN/PVAc composites depend on the indole content in the composites.     

Properties of composite solid polymer electrolyte using hyperbranched polymer with ether-linkage

The cross-linked composite solid polymer electrolytes composed of poly(ethylene oxide), lithium salt (LiN(SO₂CF₃)₂), and a hyperbranched polymer whose repeating units were connected by ether-linkage (hyperbranched polymer (HBP)-2) were prepared, and their ionic conductivity, thermal properties, electrochemical stability, mechanical property, and chemical stability were investigated in comparison with the non-cross-linked or cross-linked composite solid polymer electrolytes using hyperbranched polymers whose repeating units were connected by ester-linkage (HBP-1a, 1b). The cross-linked composite solid polymer electrolyte using HBP-2 exhibited higher ionic conductivity than the non-cross-linked and cross-linked composite solid polymer electrolytes using HBP-1a and HBP-1b, respectively. The structure of the hyperbranched polymer did not have a significant effect on the thermal properties and electrochemical stability of the composite solid polymer electrolytes. The tensile strength of the cross-linked composite solid polymer electrolyte using HBP-2 was lower than that of the cross-linked composite solid polymer electrolyte using HBP-1b, but higher than that of the non-cross-linked composite solid polymer electrolyte using HBP-1a. The HBP-2 with ether-linkage showed higher chemical stability against alkaline hydrolysis compared with HBP-1a with ester-linkage.     

Mechanically robust conductive carbon clusters confined ethylene methyl acrylate–based flexible composites for superior shielding effectiveness

Arresting of conducting carbon black into polymeric matrix to develop flexible and light weight composite has been a widely practiced platform. Extensive development of telecommunication creates a major vexations regarding radiation pollution. Thereafter, we have been motivated to develop low‐cost, flexible composites of specialty carbon black VXC (Vulcan XC 72)–filled ethylene methyl acrylate (EMA) by mechanical mixing technique. Developed composite has significant conductivity (6.67 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹) with promising mechanical and thermal properties. Dispersion of high‐structured carbon blacks in EMA was investigated by small angle X‐ray scattering to reflect the dependency of conducting mesh formation on dispersion. Interconnected filler network development has been visualized by field emission scanning electron microscope and high‐resolution transmission electron microscope. Electromagnetic interference shielding value in the X band has calculated to be 30.8 dB. Such features can make this EVXC (EMA‐Vulcan XC 72) composite a useful alternate for flexible electromagnetic interference shielding material.     

Microstructural design for enhanced mechanical property and shape memory behavior of polyurethane nanocomposites: Role of carbon nanotube,montmorillonite, and their hybrid fillers

The recent rapid development of technology has demanded smart materials with tailoring a bridge between macro properties and sophisticated micro and nano characteristic. Principally, shape memory polymers (SMPs) will come to play as an indispensable part of numerous aspects of human activity. Nevertheless, the low mechanical strength and thermal conductivity of SMPs have primarily restricted their applications. To impart shape memory behaviour and mechanical properties, we fabricated a series of composites by a feasible and commercial melt-mixing method. Thus, a series of fast heat-actuated shape memory polymer composite with greatly enhanced stretch-ability, mechanical stiffness, dynamic-modulus, rheological qualities, recovery and fixity ratio was prepared by incorporating multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT), montmorillonite (MMT) and CNT:MMT hybrid into thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Noteworthy, CNT-based specimens exhibited superior mechanical properties than those of MMT-based samples, and interestingly, the hybrid composites featured a synergistic effect due to the sacrificial role of MMT nanoplatelets for adjusting the dispersion of CNT nanotubes. Microstructural observations indicated that the crystallization percentages of the composites were generally higher than that of pristine TPU; therefore, the shape-memory performance of the specimens improved notably in the case of the hybrid composites owing to creating more interfacial zone with CNT:MMT nanoparticles as compared to other simple composites. This study proved that the simultaneous incorporation of CNT and MMT nanoparticles not only granted outstanding mechanical properties, but also improved the overall shape memory behaviour of the composites by systematical localization of the nanoparticles without any functionalization or modification.     

Chemical modification of rose leaf with polypyrrole for the removal of Pb (II) and Cd (II) from aqueous solution

The rose leaf was successfully modified through coating with polypyrrole (PPy) in chemical oxidative route in order to remove Pb(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous media. The rose leaf/polypyrrole (RL/PPy) composites were characterized in terms of morphology, chemical structure, and conductivity properties. The spectrum were obtained from FTIR results which support the formation of RL/PPy composites. FTIR and SEM results indicate that the polypyrrole is completely covered on rose leaf. The conductivity of composite (1.8215 S/cm) was higher than polypyrrole (2.06 × 10^?3 S/cm). The metal removal studies were monitored by Ultraviolet Visible Absorption Spectrometer (UV-Vis). The optimum conditions were detected for adsorption by changing some experimental conditions (such as adsorbent dosage, contact time and stirring speed, initial concentration of the metal solutions and pH). Following the determination of the optimum conditions, the results of the metal removal from wastewater studies were performed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). Under the optimum conditions, the ICP-OES results obtained for waste water showed the useability of composite for the removal of Pb(II) and Cd(II). The Langmuir and Freundlich models are subjected to adsorption datas. The datas fitted better when by using Freundlich model.     

Preparation,structure, and property of polyoxymethylene/carbon nanotubes thermal conducive composites

Polyoxymethylene (POM)/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) nanocomposites were prepared through a simple solution‐evaporation method assisted by ultrasonic irradiation. To enhance the dispersion of MWNTs in POM, MWNTs were chemically functionalized with PEG‐substituted amine (MWNT‐g‐PEG), which exhibited strong affinity with POM due to their similar molecular structure. The thermal conductivity and the mechanical properties of the composites were investigated, which showed that the thermal conductive properties of POM were improved remarkably in the presence of MWNTs, whereas reduced by using MWNT‐g‐PEG due to the heat transport barrier of the grafted‐PEG‐substituted amine chain. A nonlinear increase of the thermal conductivity was observed with increasing MWNTs content, and the Maxwell‐Eucken model and the Agari model were used for theoretical evaluation. The relatively high effective length factor of the composite predicted with mixture equation indicated that there were few entangles of MWNTs for the samples of MWNT‐g‐PEG in the composites. The mechanical strength of the composites can be improved remarkably by using suitable content of such functionalized MWNTs, and with the increase of the aliphatic chain length of PEG‐substituted amine, the toughness of the composites can be enhanced. Transmission electron microscope result indicated that MWNT‐g‐PEG exhibited strong affinity with POM and a good dispersion of MWNTs was achieved in POM matrix. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 905–912, 2010     

Response of protonic acid‐doped poly(o‐anisidine)/poly(vinyl alcohol) composites to relative humidity and role of dopant anions

Various protonated poly(o‐anisidine) (PoAN)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composites were prepared with different types of acids: sulfuric (SA), p‐toluene sulfonic (TSA), camphor sulfonic (CSA), and p‐dodecylbenzene sulfonic (DBSA). In the visible spectrum of each composite in dimethyl sulfoxide, three absorption peaks were observed at 440, 620, and 860 nm. The peaks at 440 and 860 nm, which were enhanced with the increasing content of acid‐doped PoAN in the PVA matrix, were attributed to the radical cation and localized polaron generated in the conducting polymer. However, the peak at 620 nm was ascribed to the emeraldine base (EB) form of PoAN; that is, a portion of the acid was detached from the conducting polymer to form EB‐PoAN and free acid. The linear dependence of the logarithmic electrical conductivity on the variation of humidity, which was observed for all the composites, was caused by the salt–base transition of the conducting polymer, that is, by the movement of free acid between the active sites of the conducting polymer and the strongly bound water existing in PVA, which in turn depended directly on the environmental humidity. The response time of the composites to humidity was shortened with a decrease in the size of the dopant anions: DBSA > CSA > TSA > SA. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4343–4352, 2000     

Electrical Properties Investigation in PA12/PANI Composites

Summary: Volume conducting PA-12 based composites powders were chemically prepared by in situ polymerization and aniline doping at room temperature. These kinds of polyamide / PANI composites were investigated regarding their electrical properties. Their ac and dc electrical properties measured in the frequency range of 10⁻²–10⁷ Hz are reported and the frequency dependence of electrical conductivity was investigated as a function of PANI concentration leading to the determination of the conductivity. The experimental conductivity was found to increase continuously with PANI content and explained by percolation theory with a relatively low percolation threshold of about 0.4 wt.%. The dielectric behavior of various PANI polymer composites has been characterized by the critical frequency ω_c (denoting the crossover from the dc plateau of the conductivity to its frequency dependent ac behaviour). Modelling the conductivity behavior versus volume fraction using Slupkowski approach has revealed that the considered parameters are not sufficient to describe the electrical conductivity behavior.     

Electromagnetic interference shielding and radiation absorption in thin polypyrrole films

Results of permittivity measurements, electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness, and heat generation due to microwave absorption in conducting polymer coated textiles are reported and discussed. The intrinsically conducting polymer, polypyrrole, doped with anthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid (AQSA) or para-toluene-2-sulfonic acid (pTSA) was applied on textile substrates and the resulting materials were investigated in the frequency range 1-18 GHz. The 0.54 mm thick conducting textile/polypyrrole composites absorbed up to 49.5% of the incident 30-35 W microwave radiation. A thermography station was used to monitor the temperature of these composites during the irradiation process, where absorption was confirmed via visible heat losses. Samples with lower conductivity showed larger temperature increases caused by microwave absorption compared to samples with higher conductivity. A sample with an average sheet resistivity of 150 Ω/sq. showed a maximum temperature increase of 5.27 °C, whilst a sample with a lower resistivity (105 Ω/sq.) rose by 3.85 °C.     

Carboxy-endcapped conductive polypyrrole: biomimetic conducting polymer for cell scaffolds and electrodes

Numerous regenerating tissues respond favorably to electrical stimulation, creating a need for a bioactive conducting platform for tissue engineering applications. The drive for biosensors and electrode coatings further requires control of the surface properties of promising conductive materials such as polypyrrole. Here we present carboxy-endcapped polypyrrole (PPy-alpha-COOH), a unique bioactive conducting polymer with a carboxylic acid layer, composed of a polypyrrole (PPy) surface modified with pyrrole-alpha-carboxylic acid (Py-alpha-COOH). This unique structure is simple to produce, provides a stable bioactive surface via covalent bonds, and preserves bulk properties such as electrical conductivity and mechanical integrity. The chemical structure of this polymer composite was characterized by angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which demonstrated the presence of carboxylic acid functionality on the top surface of conductive PPy. A four-point probe test was used to verify the similar conductivity of PPy-alpha-COOH compared to that of standard PPy. To demonstrate the potential to influence cellular activity, the carboxylic acid monolayer surface was grafted with the cell-adhesive Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motif. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) cultured on RGD-modified PPy-alpha-COOH demonstrated significantly higher adhesion and spreading than on the negative controls PPy-alpha-COOH and unmodified PPy.     

聚吡咯纳米线凝胶的模板制备及储能与电化学传感性能

以配位聚合物凝胶为模板,构筑均一的聚吡咯纳米线网络,聚合后经简单处理除去模板,得到性能优异的聚吡咯凝胶.结果表明,模板法合成的聚吡咯凝胶为由均一纳米线组成的三维网络结构,具有良好的力学性能、较大的比表面积及优异的电化学特性,在0.28 A/g电流密度下,比电容可达450 F/g,在2.8 A/g电流密度下充放电1000次,比电容仍可保持88.6%.聚吡咯纳米线网络凝胶经葡萄糖氧化酶负载后得到柔性传感电极,对低浓度(0.2 mmol/L)的葡萄糖具有快速响应性能,有望用于超级电容器及生物电化学传感器等领域.     

Thermal conductive PS/graphite composites

Polystyrene (PS) was compounded with graphite that possesses high thermal conductivity and layer structures, and the PS/graphite thermal conductive nano‐composites were prepared. Thermal conductivity of PS improved remarkably in the presence of the graphite, and a much higher thermal conductivity of 1.95 W/m K can be achieved for the composite with 34 vol% of colloidal graphite. The Maxwell‐Eucken model and the Agari model were used to evaluate the thermal conductivity of the composites. For the purpose of improving the interfacial compatibility of PS/graphite, realizing the exfoliation and nano‐dispersion of graphite in the PS matrix, three intercalation methods, including rolling intercalation, solvent intercalation, and pan milling intercalation, were applied to prepare the composites, and the morphologies, thermal conductivities, and mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. It should be noted that the one prepared by pan milling intercalation not only had excellent thermal conductivity but also much higher mechanical properties, resulting from a high degree of layer exfoliation of the graphite, the formation of the chain structure agglomerates of the graphite, and the creation of more conductive paths under the strong shear stress of pan milling. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation and characterization of porous conducting poly(dl-lactide) composite membranes

Solid conducting biodegradable composite membranes have shown to enhance nerve regeneration. However, few efforts have been directed toward porous conducting biodegradable composite membranes for the same purpose. In this study, we have fabricated some porous conducting poly(dl-lactide) composite membranes which can be used for the biodegradable nerve conduits. The porous poly(dl-lactide) membranes were first prepared through a phase separation method, and then they were incorporated with polypyrrole to produce porous conducting composite membranes by polymerizing pyrrole monomer in gas phase using FeCl₃ as oxidant. The preparation conditions were optimized to obtain membranes with controlled pore size and porosity. The direct current conductivity of composite membrane was investigated using standard four-point technique. The effects of polymerization time and the concentration of oxidant on the conductivity of the composite membrane were examined. Under optimized polymerization conditions, some composite membranes showed a conductivity close to 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ with a lower polypyrrole loading between 2 and 3 wt.%. A consecutive degradation in Ringer's solution at 37 °C indicated that the conductivity of composite membrane did not exhibit significant changes until 9 weeks although a noticeable weight loss of the composite membrane could be seen since the end of the second week.     

Stability of electrical and mechanical properties of polyethylene/carbon black composites

The stability of electrical and mechanical properties of two kinds of polymer composites ‐ polyethylene/carbon black and polyethylene/carbon black modified by polypyrrole ‐ was investigated during slow cycle heating and cooling. Conductivity in composites was measured in heating/cooling cycles in the temperature range from 16°C to 125°C. It was found that the thermal treatment resulted in the conductivity changes and the mechanical properties of treated composites have also been influenced. The effect was explained by increased crystallinity in the polymer matrix of thermally treated composites.