Development of hierarchical structured carbon nanotube-nylon nanofiber mats

A hierarchical nanofiber (NF) structure featuring carbon nanotubes (CNTs) densely attached on the surface of NFs is presented. Nonwoven NF mats made of Nylon 6 (Nylon) were mass produced using the forcespinning((R)) (FS) technology, followed by depositing functionalized CNTs (f-CNTs) on the surface of NFs. Strong interfacial adhesion between CNTs and Nylon NFs was developed by the formation of covalent bonds. The morphology, structure, conductivity, and mechanical properties of the developed CNT-Nylon NFs were analyzed. The hierarchical NFs have a 338% improvement in tensile strength without compromising its strain at break. The shielding effectiveness (SE) of electromagnetic interference (EMI) was recorded to be 30 dB. These promising characteristics endow novel flexible hierarchical NF mats for applications as EMI shielding materials or smart textiles to mention some. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42535.