Fabrication and characterization of conductive electrospun nanofiber mats of carbon nanofiber/poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(lactic acid) ternary nanocomposites for flexible electronics applications

Victor K. Sharma, Gourhari Chakraborty, Soundararajan Narendren, Vimal Katiyar

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Structural flexibility, high electrical conductivity, and biodegradability are some of the desired electrode properties required in electrode materials for various biomedical, biofuel cell, and flexible electronics applications. In this study, biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was covalently grafted onto surface-modified carbon nanofibers (mCFs) to form a highly conductive nanocomposite (PVA/mCF). This PVA/mCF nanocomposite was electrospun (PVA/mCF@PLA-es) or dip-coated (PVA/mCF@PLA) on neat polylactic acid (PLA) electrospun nanofiber mats to fabricate non-woven, flexible, and conductive nanofiber mats. The surface impedance of the PVA/mCF nanocomposite was reduced by 106 times compared to that of the neat polymer with no noticeable capacitance. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-Ray diffraction (XRD), and electron microscopy studies demonstrated evidence for successful surface modification of carbon nanofibers and covalent grafting of PVA. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and contact angle studies also demonstrated improved thermal stability and wettability. Because of the excellent structural flexibility, high electrical conductivity, and biodegradability of PVA/mCF@PLA nanofiber mats, they could be used in biofuel cell electrodes, biomedical devices, and wearable electronics applications.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6294-6303
Number of pages10
JournalMaterials Advances
Volume4
Issue number23
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 6 2023
Externally publishedYes

Funding

The authors are grateful to the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Polymers (funded by the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Government of India) and the Central Instruments Facility at IIT Guwahati for facilitating this research.

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Fabrication and characterization of conductive electrospun nanofiber mats of carbon nanofiber/poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(lactic acid) ternary nanocomposites for flexible electronics applications'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this