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Conductivity of paper containing poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(4‐styrenesulfonate) and multiwall carbon nanotubes
Author(s) -
Montibon Elson,
Lestelius Magnus,
Järnström Lars
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.35621
Subject(s) - materials science , carbon nanotube , dielectric spectroscopy , conductive polymer , pedot:pss , conductivity , nyquist plot , poly(3,4 ethylenedioxythiophene) , composite material , dispersion (optics) , chemical engineering , bode plot , polymer , polymer chemistry , electrochemistry , chemistry , physics , transfer function , electrical engineering , optics , electrode , engineering
Abstract Multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were added to a dispersion of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(4‐styrenesulfonate)–dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at various dosage levels (0.1, 0.3, 0.5 wt %). The mixture was characterized in terms of its rheological behavior, and a difference was observed between ultrasonicated and nonultrasonicated mixtures. All the dispersions exhibited shear thinning behavior. Ultrasonication helped to minimize the aggregation of nanotubes in the dispersion. Coating the dispersions onto a commercial base paper on both sides turned the paper into a moderately conductive material with a bulk conductivity level of 10 −3 S/cm. The proposed equivalent circuits of the coated papers which were derived from the Nyquist plot of the Impedance Spectroscopy data consist of a resistor connected in parallel to a capacitor. Likewise, the Bode plot showed the behavior of the complex impedance and phase angle of the coated paper as a function of frequency. The I‐V characteristic and the bulk conductivity values of the paper samples are reported. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)—Energy dispersive spectroscopy showed the deposition of the conducting polymer in the fiber network. The tensile indices of all coated papers were slightly higher than that of the base paper. Apart from altering the conductive properties of the paper, opening the way to new uses of the paper, the equivalent circuit behavior of the modified paper allows for the development of other functions, such as sensors or energy storage. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012