Surface morphology and electrical properties of polyurethane nanofiber webs spray-coated with carbon nanotubes

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were spray-coated on electrospun polyurethane nanofiber webs for electrical conductive application. For the effective coating of MWNTs, hyperbranched polyurethane (HBPU) was used by blending with linear polyurethane, which was synthesized in the A(2)+B-3 approach using poly(epsilon-caprolactone) diol, 4,4'-methylene bis(phenylisocynate), and castor oil. SEM measurements showed that the MWNTs could be coated well along the surface of nanofibers when the HBPU was blended in the linear polyurethane nanofibers. Blending of HBPU in the nanofibers also affected the electrical conductivity of MWNT-coated nanofiber webs. The low electrical resistance from 20 to 400 Omega/sq was obtained for MWNT-coated nanofiber webs and their electrical resistance decreased with an increase of spraying frequency. As a potential application of MWNT-coated nanofiber webs, the electrical heating effect because of applied voltage was demonstrated. Copyright (C) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.