Carbon Nanotube-Organized Polymeric Fibers and Measurement of Their Electrical Conductivity

Abstract

This study developed a simple, potentially mass-producible and environment-friendly method for incorporating carbon nanotubes onto the surface of polymeric single fibers by adsorption in water containing surfactants. The carbon nanotubes used in this study were multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) that had been synthesized using a thermal chemical vapor deposition method. The MWCNTs were sonicated in an aqueous solution of non-ionic polyoxyethylene octyl phenyl ether in order to prevent agglomeration due to van der Waals attractions. The electrical conductivity of the MWCNT-adsorbed fibers at room temperature ranged from 6.2 × 10⁻³ S/cm to 6.0 × 10⁻² S/cm, which suggests that the MWCNTs were adsorbed uniformly and densely along the fiber.

Keywords:

• adsorption
• composite fibers
• electrical conductivity
• multiwalled carbon nanotubes
• surfactants

Acknowledgments

The authors of this paper would like to thank the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (KOSEF) for sponsoring this research through the SRC/ERC Program of MOST/KOSEF (R11-2005-065).