Fabrication and electrochemical instrumentation of redox‐active nanofiber mat for polyaniline incorporated with poly(imide sulfonate)

In this study, we demonstrate the fabrication of an electrochemically active nanofiber mat that is a composite of high‐performance poly(imide sulfonate) (PIS) and polyaniline (PANI). First, a nonconductive nanofiber mat comprising nanofibers having diameters of ca. 300 nm was fabricated by the electrospinning of ionomeric PIS in N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF). Then, the nanofibers were modified using PANI, which was synthesized by the oxidative polymerization of aniline, yielding an electrochemically active nanofiber mat having a diameter of ca. 350 nm. It was confirmed that PANI was successfully incorporated onto the PIS nanofiber mats by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Subsequently, we conducted electrochemical measurements of the PANI‐modified nanofiber mats using a tailor‐made attachment in which the working electrode gently comes in contact with the nanofiber mat surface. This attachment was observed to be widely useful in the cyclic voltammetry measurements related to redox‐active nanofibers. These observations are expected to contribute to the advancements in application development of the electrochemically active nanofiber mats.     

静电纺丝制备荧光导电双功能复合纳米纤维及其表征

采用静电纺丝技术将导电聚苯胺(PANI)和铕/铽稀土配合物掺杂到高分子基质聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)中,制备出荧光导电复合纳米纤维。用扫描电镜(SEM)、荧光光谱仪(FL)、宽频介电松驰谱仪对荧光导电复合纳米纤维的性能进行分析,结果显示,在270nm紫外光激发下,铕系列与铽系列复合纳米纤维分别发出红光和绿光。同时,复合纳米纤维的电导率可以达到1.18×10~(-6) S/cm,两种复合纳米纤维同时具有优异的荧光性能及良好的导电功能。     

聚(丙交酯-co-乙交酯)/β-磷酸三钙复合物的电纺研究

对生物可吸收聚(丙交酯-co-乙交酯)(poly(lactide-co-glycolide),PLGA)与β-磷酸三钙(-βTCP)复合物体系进行了电纺.研究了PLGA的浓度,-βTCP与PLGA比例,加料速度,电压,喷头与接收体之间的距离等因素对电纺过程的影响,制备出纳米纤维膜,并用扫描电镜(SEM)等对纤维膜进行表征.结果表明,电纺溶液浓度越高,或者加料速度越快,纳米纤维的直径越粗.力学实验显示,复合物中-βTCP的含量增加使纳米纤维膜的拉伸强度和杨氏模量下降.     

Surface morphology and electrical properties of polyurethane nanofiber webs spray‐coated with carbon nanotubes

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were spray‐coated on electrospun polyurethane nanofiber webs for electrical conductive application. For the effective coating of MWNTs, hyperbranched polyurethane (HBPU) was used by blending with linear polyurethane, which was synthesized in the A₂ + B₃ approach using poly(ε‐caprolactone)diol, 4,4′‐methylene bis(phenylisocynate), and castor oil. SEM measurements showed that the MWNTs could be coated well along the surface of nanofibers when the HBPU was blended in the linear polyurethane nanofibers. Blending of HBPU in the nanofibers also affected the electrical conductivity of MWNT‐coated nanofiber webs. The low electrical resistance from 20 to 400 Ω/sq was obtained for MWNT‐coated nanofiber webs and their electrical resistance decreased with an increase of spraying frequency. As a potential application of MWNT‐coated nanofiber webs, the electrical heating effect because of applied voltage was demonstrated. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assembly of well-aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes in confined polyacrylonitrile environments: electrospun composite nanofiber sheets

Highly oriented, large area continuous composite nanofiber sheets made from surface-oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) were successfully developed using electrospinning. The preferred orientation of surface-oxidized MWNTs along the fiber axis was determined with transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction. The surface morphology and height profile of the composite nanofibers were also investigated using an atomic force microscope in tapping mode. For the first time, it was observed that the orientation of the carbon nanotubes within the nanofibers was much higher than that of the PAN polymer crystal matrix as detected by two-dimensional wide-angle X-ray diffraction experiments. This suggests that not only surface tension and jet elongation but also the slow relaxation of the carbon nanotubes in the nanofibers are determining factors in the orientation of carbon nanotubes. The extensive fine absorption structure detected via UV/vis spectroscopy indicated that charge-transfer complexes formed between the surface-oxidized nanotubes and negatively charged (-CN[triple bond]N:) functional groups in PAN during electrospinning, leading to a strong interfacial bonding between the nanotubes and surrounding polymer chains. As a result of the highly anisotropic orientation and the formation of complexes, the composite nanofiber sheets possessed enhanced electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, thermal deformation temperature, thermal stability, and dimensional stability. The electrical conductivity of the PAN/MWNT composite nanofibers containing 20 wt % nanotubes was enhanced to approximately 1 S/cm. The tensile modulus values of the compressed composite nanofiber sheets were improved significantly to 10.9 and 14.5 GPa along the fiber winding direction at the MWNT loading of 10 and 20 wt %, respectively. The thermal deformation temperature increased with increased MWNT loading. The thermal expansion coefficient of the composite nanofiber sheets was also reduced by more than an order of magnitude to 13 x 10(-6)/ degrees C along the axis of aligned nanofibers containing 20 wt % MWNTs.     

静电纺丝技术制备Tb（BA）3phen/PANI/PVP光电双功能复合纳米纤维

采用静电纺丝技术将聚苯胺(PANI)和稀土配合物[Tb(BA)3phen]掺杂到高分子材料(PVP)中,制备出一类新型的具有光电双功能的Tb(BA)3phen/PANI/PVP复合纳米纤维.用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、X射线能量色散谱仪(EDS)、荧光光谱仪及宽频介电松弛谱仪对样品进行了表征.结果表明,复合纳米纤维直径为(331±43)nm.在276 nm紫外光激发下,Tb(BA)3phen/PANI/PVP复合纳米纤维发射出主峰位于491,547和585 nm的绿光,对应Tb3+的5D4→7F6,5D4→7F5和5D4→7F4跃迁.当Tb(BA)3phen∶PANI∶PVP的质量比为15∶10∶100时,复合纳米纤维的荧光发射最强,其电导率随PANI含量的增大而升高,在PANI∶PVP为50%(wt%)时,其电导率在高频(106Hz)下达1.531×10-6S/cm.     

静电纺丝法制备聚丙烯腈/聚苯胺复合纳米纤维及其表征

利用静电纺丝技术,以聚丙烯腈(PAN)和苯胺(ANI)为前驱物,用过硫酸胺(APS)溶液在低温下缓慢氧化聚合,制备了PAN/PANI复合纳米纤维,直径约500 nm.通过扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、红外光谱(FTIR)、X射线衍射(XRD)和激光拉曼(RAMAN)光谱仪等测试手段对材料的形貌和结构进行了表征.探讨了材料制备过程中影响纤维形貌、尺寸、均匀度的因素和PANI含量对复合纤维导电性能的影响,结果表明,PAN浓度、ANI的加入量和电压是影响纤维特性的主要因素;PANI在PAN基体中呈纳米尺寸分布,复合纳米纤维具有良好的导电性能,导电率可达10-2S/cm.     

The tensile properties of electrospun nylon 6 single nanofibers

In this article, we have aimed to mechanically characterize the nylon 6 single nanofiber and nanofiber mats. We have started by providing a critical review of the developed mechanical characterization testing methods of single nanofiber. It has been found that the tensile test method provides information about the mechanical properties of the nanofiber such as tensile strength, elastic modulus and strain at break. We have carried out a tensile test for nanofiber/composite MWCNTs nanofiber mats to further characterize the effect of the MWCNTs filling fiber architecture. In addition, we have designed and implemented a novel simple laboratory set‐up for performing tensile test of single nanofibers. As a result, we have established the stress–strain curve for single nylon 6 nanofibers allowing us to define the tensile strength, axial tensile modulus and ultimate strain of this nanofiber. The compared values of the tensile strength, axial modulus and ultimate strain for nylon 6 nanofiber with those of conventional nylon 6 microfiber have indicated that some of the nylon 6 nanofiber molecule chains have not been oriented well along the nanofiber axis during electrospinning and through the alignment mechanism. Finally, we have explained how we can improve the mechanical properties of nylon 6 nanofibers and discussed how to overcome the tensile testing challenges of single nanofibers. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 1719–1731, 2010     

静电纺丝制备Eu(BA)3phen/PANI/PVP光电双功能复合纳米纤维及其性能

采用静电纺丝技术将聚苯胺(PANI)和稀土配合物Eu(BA)3phen掺杂到高分子材料聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)中, 制备出新型的具有光电双功能的Eu(BA)3phen/PANI/PVP复合纳米纤维. 采用扫描电子显微镜、 X射线能量色散谱仪、 荧光光谱仪及宽频介电松弛谱仪对样品进行了表征. 实验结果表明, 复合纳米纤维直径为(270±31) nm. 在275 nm紫外光激发下, Eu(BA)3phen/PANI/PVP复合纳米纤维发射出主峰位于580, 594和617 nm的红光, 对应于Eu3+的 5D0→7F0, 5D0→7F1和5D0→7F2跃迁. 当m[Eu(BA)3phen]:m(PANI):m(PVP)=15:10:100 时, 复合纳米纤维的荧光发射最强. 复合纤维的电导率随PANI含量的增大而升高. 在m(PANI):m(PVP)=50:100时, 其电导率在高频(106 Hz)下达到1.5×10-6 S/cm.     

Electrospun Polyaniline/Poly(ethylene oxide) Composite Nanofibers Based Gas Sensor

Camphor‐10‐sulfonic acid (HCSA) doped polyaniline (PANI)/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) composite nanofibers with different compositions (12 to 52 wt.% of PANI) were synthesized by an electrospinning method and their properties including optical, electrical and sensing were systematically investigated. FT‐IR shows that an increase of IR absorbance ratios of aromatic C? C stretching vibration of benzenoid rings of PANI to C? O? C symmetric vibrational modes of PEO confirmed that the PANI content in nanofiber mats increased proportionally with increase in PANI content in electrospinning solution. The band gap of PANI was determined to be 2.5 eV using UV‐Vis spectroscopy. The electrical conductivities of the nanofibers increased with an increase in the PANI content in the nanofibers. Additionally, the sensitivity toward NH₃ increased as the PANI content increased, but branched nanofibers reduced sensing response. The humidity sensitivity changed from positive to negative as the PANI content increased. The electron transport mechanism was studied by measuring the temperature dependence electrical resistivity. The negative temperature coefficient of resistance revealed a semiconducting behavior for the PANI/PEO nanofibers. The activation energy, calculated by Arrhenius plot, increased as the PANI content decreased. The power law indicated that electrons were being transported in a three dimensional matrix, and the longer hopping distance required more hopping energy for electron transport.     

Fabrication of Polyaniline/Graphene/Polyester Textile Electrode Materials for Flexible Supercapacitors with High Capacitance and Cycling Stability

Vertical polyaniline (PANI) nanowire arrays on graphene‐sheet‐coated polyester cloth (RGO/PETC) were fabricated by the in situ chemical polymerization of aniline. The 3D conductive network that was formed by the graphene sheets greatly enhanced the conductivity of PANI/RGO/PETC and improved its mechanical stability. PANI nanowire arrays increased the active surface area of PANI, whilst the hierarchically porous structure of the PANI/RGO/PETC electrode facilitated the diffusion of the electrolyte ions. Electrochemical measurements showed that the composite electrode exhibited a maximum specific capacitance of 1293 F g^?1 at a current density of 1 A g^?1. Capacitance retention was greater than 95 %, even after 3000 cycles, which indicated that the electrode material has excellent cycling stability. Moreover, the electrode structure endowed the PANI/RGO/PETC electrode with a stable electrochemical performance under mechanical bending and stretching.     

Fundamental study of crystallization,orientation, and electrical conductivity of electrospun PET/carbon nanotube nanofibers

The morphology, structure, and properties of polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) conductive nanoweb were studied in this article. Nanocomposite nanofibers were obtained through electrospinning of PET solutions in trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)/dichloromethane (DCM) containing different concentrations and types of CNTs. Electrical conductivity measurements on nanofiber mats showed an electrical percolation threshold around 2 wt % multi‐wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). The morphological analysis results showed smoother nanofibers with less bead structures development when using a rotating drum collector especially at high concentrations of CNTs. From crystallographic measurements, a higher degree of crystallinity was observed with increasing CNT concentrations above electrical percolation. Spectroscopy results showed that both PET and CNT orientation increased with the level of alignment of the nanofibers when the nanotube concentration was below the electrical percolation threshold; while the orientation factor was reduced for aligned nanofibers with higher content in CNT. Considerable enhancement in mechanical properties, especially tensile modulus, was found in aligned nanofibers; at least six times higher than the modulus of random nanofibers at concentrations below percolation. The effect of alignment on the mechanical properties was less important at higher concentrations of CNTs, above the percolation threshold. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 2052–2064, 2010     

聚苯胺-还原氧化石墨烯复合材料的比电容及超级电容性能

Flaky polyaniline-reduced graphene oxide (PANI-rGO) composites have larger specific capacitance due to the improved redox charge of PANI in the composites, fabricated by simultaneous reduction of PANI-GO. The structural and morphological analyses were carried out using scanning electron microscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and thermogravimetry. The results showed that the composites are flaky in shape. PANI is uniformly coated on GO, and PANI-rGO has specific capacitance as high as 1069 F·g^-1 (1.71 F·cm^-2) at a current density of 20 A·g^-1, 5 times higher than PANI-GO; this is caused by the large surface and conductivity of the rGO in the composite.     

Surface‐Coated Thermally Expandable Microspheres with a Composite of Polydisperse Graphene Oxide Sheets

Surface‐modified thermally expandable microcapsules (TEMs) hold potential for applications in various fields. In this work, we discussed the possible surface coating mechanism and reported the properties of TEMs coated with polyaniline (PANI) and polydisperse graphene oxide sheets (ionic liquid‐graphene oxide hybrid nanomaterial (ILs‐GO)). The surface coating of PANI/ ILs‐GO increased the corresponding particle size and its distribution range. The morphologies analyzed by scanning electron microscopy indicated that no interfacial gap was observed between the microspheres ink and substrate layer during the substrate application. The thermal properties were determined by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses. The addition of ILs‐GO to the polyaniline coating significantly improved the thermal expansion and thermal conductivity of the microcapsules. The evaporation of hexane present in the core of TEMs was not prevented by the coating of PANI/ ILs‐GO. The printing application of TEMs showed excellent adaptability to various flexible substrates with great 3D appearance. By incorporating a flame retardant agent into TEMs coated by PANI/ILs‐GO, finally, these TEMs also demonstrated a great flame retardant ability. We expect that these TEM‐coated PANI/ ILs‐GO are likely to have the potential to improve the functional properties for various applications.     

A novel method for a high‐strength electrospun meta‐aramid nanofiber by microwave treatment

Electrospun nanofibers have attracted great attention as potential reinforcements in composite application due to their high specific surface area, high porosity, and versatility. Because the electrospun nanofibers exhibit relatively low mechanical strength due to low crystallinity and random alignment, many researchers have tried to enhance the mechanical strength through various approaches, such as heat treatment and fiber orientation control. These methods, however, are difficult to control and require the use of high temperatures and sophisticated apparatuses, and high costs. In this study, we investigate a novel microwave technique to fabricate high‐strength electrospun meta‐aramid nanofiber mats. To optimize the microwave irradiation conditions, the electrospun nanofiber was treated at varying levels of moisture and for different irradiation times. Field emission scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the surface morphology of the electrospun nanofiber mats at the different irradiation times. The changes in the crystallinity and thermal properties were investigated using X‐ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis measurements. Tensile tests were performed to measure the mechanical strength of the meta‐aramid nanofiber mats with respect to each parameter. As a result, any residual solvents and salts were removed, and the degree of crystallization was dramatically increased by microwave irradiation under wet conditions. These effects led to a 2.8‐fold increase in the tensile strength of the nanofiber mats compared with an untreated mat. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 807–814     

An elastomeric conducting composite based on polyaniline coated nylon fiber and chloroprene rubber

Chloroprene rubber-polyaniline (PANI) coated nylon fiber composites containing PANI powder were prepared by mechanical mixing on a two-roll mill. PANI was synthesized by chemical polymerization of aniline in presence of hydrochloric acid. PANI coated nylon fiber was prepared by in situ polymerization of aniline on nylon fiber. The cure parameters cure kinetics, filler dispersion, mechanical properties, DC electrical conductivity and thermal degradation parameters of the composites were evaluated. Cure rate index and cure reaction constants indicated that the rate of cure reaction changes on filler addition. Filler addition at higher loadings led to agglomeration. The tensile strength and modulus values increased suggesting a reinforcement effect. The conductivity, thermal characteristics and thermal degradation kinetic parameters are also presented.     

Influence of graphene reinforcement in conductive polymer: Synthesis and characterization

Lightweight conductive polymers are considered for lightning strike mitigation in composites by synthesizing intrinsically conductive polymers (ICPs) and by the inclusion of conductive fillers in insulating matrices. Conductive films based on polyaniline (PANI) and graphene have been developed to improve through‐thickness conductivity of polymer composites. The result shows that the conductivity of PANI enhanced by blending polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and PANI in 3:1 ratio. Conductive composite thin films are prepared by dispersing graphene in PANI. The conductivity of composite films was found to increase by 40× at 20 wt% of graphene inclusion compared with PVP and PANI blend. Fourier‐transform‐infrared (FTIR) spectra confirmed in situ polymerization of the polymer blend. The inclusion of graphene also exhibits an increase in Tg by 21°C. Graphene additions also showed an increase in thermal stability by approximately 148°C in the composite films. The mechanical result obtained from DMA shows that inclusion of graphene increases the tensile strength by 48% at 20 wt% of graphene reinforcement. A thin, highly conductive surface that is compatible with a composite resin system can enhance the surface conductivity of composites, improving its lightning strike mitigation capabilities.     

Preparation and characterization of coaxial electrospun thermoplastic polyurethane/collagen compound nanofibers for tissue engineering applications

Collagen functionalized thermoplastic polyurethane nanofibers (TPU/collagen) were successfully produced by coaxial electrospinning technique with a goal to develop biomedical scaffold. A series of tests were conducted to characterize the compound nanofiber and its membrane in this study. Surface morphology and interior structure of the ultrafine fibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), whereas the fiber diameter distribution was also measured. The crosslinked membranes were also characterized by SEM. Porosities of different kinds of electrospun mats were determined. The surface chemistry and chemical composition of collagen/TPU coaxial nanofibrous membranes were verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). Mechanical measurements were carried out by applying tensile test loads to samples which were prepared from electrospun ultra fine non-woven fiber mats. The coaxial electrospun nanofibers were further investigated as a promising scaffold for PIECs culture. The results demonstrated that coaxial electrospun composite nanofibers had the characters of native extracellular matrix and may be used effectively as an alternative material for tissue engineering and functional biomaterials.     

Thorny devil nanotextured fibers: the way to cooling rates on the order of 1 kW/cm2

In the present work high-heat-flux surfaces, which should serve at temperatures of up to 200 °C, were covered by electrospun polymer nanofiber mats with thicknesses of about 30 μm. Then, four different metals were electroplated on separate polymer mats, namely, copper, silver, nickel, and gold. As a result, copper-plated nanofiber mats took on an appearance resembling that of a small Australian thorny devil lizard (i.e., they became very rough on the nanoscale) and acquired a high thermal diffusivity. Silver-plated nanofiber mats also became very rough because of the dendritelike and cactuslike nanostructures on their surfaces. However, nickel-plated nanofibers were only partially rough and their mats incorporated large domains of smooth nickel-plated fibers, and gold-plated nanofibers were practically smooth. Drop impacts on the hot surfaces coated with copper-plated and silver-plated nanofibers revealed tremendously high values of heat removal rates of up to 0.6 kW/cm(2). Such high values of heat flux are more than an order of magnitude higher that the currently available ones and probably can be increased even more using the same technique. They open some intriguing perspectives for the cooling of high-heat-flux microelectronics and optoelectronics and for further miniaturization of such devices, especially for such applications as UAVs and UGVs.     

Solution‐blown nylon 6–chitosan core–shell nanofiber for highly efficient affinity adsorption

A facile spinning‐based strategy was developed to fabricate chitosan (CS) surface nanofiber‐based affinity membranes for protein adsorption. The core–shell nanofiber mat of nylon 6–CS was prepared via coaxial solution blowing process. The nanofibers have a diameter range of 60–300 nm. The core–shell structure was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, and CS was observed as a thin layer that uniformly adhered to the core. The dye ligand of cibacron blue F3GA (CB F3GA) was further covalently immobilized on the nanofibers with a content of 425 µmol/g. The pristine and CB F3GA‐attached mats were studied in protein adsorption. High bovine serum albumin adsorption capacities of 91.9 and 219.6 mg/g were obtained for pristine and CB F3GA‐attached mats, respectively. Given its properties of high flux rate and low pressure drop, CB F3GA‐attached nylon 6–CS nanofiber mat meets the requirements of highly effective affinity membrane chromatography. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.