Conjugated polymer nano-ellipsoids assembled with octanoic acid and their polyurethane nanocomposites with simultaneous thermal storage and antibacterial activity

We prepared conjugated polymer nano-ellipsoids (CPNs) via emulsification of chloroform phase using the octanoic acid (OA) in dimethyl formamide (DMF), followed by the removal of chloroform by heating. The resulting CPN DMF solutions were thoroughly mixed with polyurethane (PU) DMF solutions to form composite films upon solvent removal, with uniformly distributed CPNs due to hydrogen bonds between PU matrix and the CPNs. Superior photothermal and antibacterial properties of the PU:CPN composite films were observed, presenting the usefulness of CPNs as an efficient light harvester and thermal storage material, and the OA as an antibacterial material for multifunctional fiber applications. (C) 2018 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.