Conductive nanofibers organization

Chuangchote et aL (2008) fabricated ultrafine poly[2-methoxy-5-(20-ethylhexyloxy)-l,4-phenylenevinylene]/poly(vinyl pynolidone) (PVP) composite fibers for conductive nanofibers by electrospinning blended solutions in a mixed solvent of chlorobenzene and methanol. The average diameter of the eiectrospun fibers was found to decrease with the reduction of the PVP concentration and/or the addition of the volatile organic salt, pyridium formate. 

We have first reported organic solar cells made of electrospun conducting nanofibers from a derivative of PPV (i.e., MEH-PPV) in 2008 [59]. MEH-PPV... 

The pol5mier nanocomposite field has been studied heavily in the past decade. However, polymier nanocomposite technology has been around for quite some time in the form of latex paints, carbon-black filled tires, and other pol5mier systems filled with nanoscale particles. However, the nanoscale interface nature of these materials was not truly understood and elucidated until recently [2 7]. Today, there are excellent works that cover the entire field of polymer nanocomposite research, including applications, with a wide range of nanofillers such as layered silicates (clays), carbon nanotubes/nanofibers, colloidal oxides, double-layered hydroxides, quantum dots, nanocrystalline metals, and so on. The majority of the research conducted to date has been with organically treated, layered silicates or organoclays. 

A novel route to pure and composite fibers of polypyrrole was recently reported by Han and Shi [42]. An organic salt (FeAOT) was synthesized by the reaction of sodium l,4-bis(2-ethyUiexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT) and ferric chloride. It was fabricated into nanofibers by manual drawing and electrospinning. Long PPy fibers were obtained for the first time by a vapor deposition reaction of pyrrole on the FeAOT fibers, and this technique was extended to the synthesis of PPy composite fibers with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (PPy-MWCNT fibers). The PPy and PPy-MWCNT fibers had a nanoporous morphology, a conductivity of 10-15 S cm and a tensile strength of 12—43 MPa. Studies of the electrochemistry and current-voltage characteristics of the PPy fibers were also reported. 

Conducting PANl/PLA nanofibers by electrospinning were reported and conductivities between bulk and nanofiber films were compared. It was found that nanoflber mats had lower crystallinity due to the fact that rapid evaporation of the solvent prevents chains to organize into a suitable crystal structure. The high porosity of the nonwoven mats and lower crystallinity resulted in a decrease in the electrical conductivity. 

Template-free techniques have been extensively studied for the fabrication of conducting polymer nanomaterials fabrication. Compared with hard and soft template methods, these methodologies provide a facile and practical route to produce pure, uniform, and high quality nanofibers. Template-free methods encompass various methods such as electrochemical synthesis, chemical polymerization, aqueous/organic interfacial polymerization, radi-olytic synthesis, and dispersion polymerization. 

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