Premium
Mechanical and electrical properties of the PA6/SWNTs nanofiber yarn by electrospinning
Author(s) -
Li Jie,
Tian Long,
Pan Ning,
Pan Zhijuan
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.23705
Subject(s) - materials science , composite material , spinning , nanofiber , electrospinning , scanning electron microscope , ultimate tensile strength , carbon nanotube , percolation threshold , electrical resistance and conductance , electrical resistivity and conductivity , yarn , percolation (cognitive psychology) , electrical conductor , polymer , electrical engineering , biology , engineering , neuroscience
In this article, continuous PA6/single‐wall nanotubes (SWNTs) nanofiber yarns were obtained by a special electrospinning method; the mechanical and electrical properties and the electric resistance‐tensile strain sensitivity of the as‐spun yarns were specially studied. The main parameters in the spinning process were systematically studied. Scanning electron microscope images and mechanical tests indicated that the optimum parameters for the electrospinning process were operation voltage = 20 kV, spinning flow rate = 0.09 ml/h, and winding speed = 150 rpm. Transmission electron microscopy images showed that the SWNTs have aligned along the axis of the nanofibers and thus formed a continuous conductive network which greatly improved the electrical conductivity of the PA6 nanofiber yarn and the percolation threshold was about 0.8 wt%. The electric conductivities of the yarns at different stretching ratios were also measured with a custom‐made fixture attached to the high‐resistance meter, and for a given carbon nanotube concentration, the conductivity changes almost linearly with the tensile strain applied on the yarns. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:1618–1624, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers