Electrical and mechanical properties of carbon-black-filled, electrospun nanocomposite fiber webs

The development of flexible and compliant conductive polymer composites with textile-like characteristics remains Ail important endeavor in light of the recent activity in polymer/textile-based electronics and the need for compliant electrodes for electroactive polymer actuators. In this work, carbon black (CB) was dispersed in a polymer solution to form electrospun fiber webs consisting mainly of nanofibers. The effect of the filler content on the fiber-web morphology, mechanical behavior; electrical conductivity, and thermal resistance was examined. The electrical conductivity percolation threshold of the fiber-web structure was found to be around 4.6 vol %. Scanning electron micrographs of the fiber webs revealed a significant influence of the CB content on the fiber formation as well as the bond structure of the fiber web, which influenced the mechanical properties of the web. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.