Electrical conductivity of electrospun nanofiber mats of polyamide 6/polyaniline coated with nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes

Conductive nanostructures have emerged as the next generation of functional materials for electronic devices. In this work, electrospun nanofiber mats of polyamide 6/polyaniline (PA6/PAni), with high porosity and high surface area, coated with nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) were developed. Employing the chemical vapor deposition technique, N-CNTs were synthesized at various temperatures, e.g., 650, 750, 850, and 950 degrees C. PA6 and PA6/PAni nanofiber mats were produced employing the electrospinning technique. The mats were then dipped in an aqueous suspension containing dispersed and stabilized N-CNTs. The results revealed that the presence of PAni enhanced the adsorption of N-CNTs on the surface of nanofiber mats, thereby improving their electrical conductivity. The highest conductivity was obtained when the mats were coated with N-CNT650. However, the impact of PAni on the conductivity was higher when the mats were coated with N-CNTs synthesized at higher temperatures, i.e., 10(-12) S/cm for PA6/N-CNT950 and 10(-5) S/cm for PA6/PAni/N-CNT950, an increase of seven orders of magnitude. It was concluded that the physical features and nitrogen content of N-CNTs had a significant impact on the electrical behavior of the developed mats. Furthermore, it was realized that the synergistic effect between PAni and N-CNT can be employed to build nanostructures with improved conductivity. (c) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.