Plasma assisted attachment of functionalized carbon nanotubes on poly(ethylene terephthalate) fabric to improve the electrical conductivity

Abstract

In this article, we report a durable coating of polyester fabric with carbon nanotubes. Four fabric samples were prepared using different treatments to obtain the fabric with the lowest electrical resistance. Plasma treatment was performed to prepare the fabric surface for depositing amino functionalized carbon nanotubes (NH2-MWCNT). Thermal properties, surface morphology and chemistry of the samples were investigated. Also color strength and electrical resistance of the fabric samples were determined. The results showed that the attachment of NH2-MWCNT onto polyester fabric was affected by fabric surface morphology. The XPS results confirmed the presence of more oxygen-containing species on the PET fabric surface after plasma treatment and NH2-MWCNT coating. The melting temperature and degree of crystallinity of the coated-PET fabric were higher than those of the pristine PET fabric. An improvement in the tensile strength of the PET fabric was also obtained after the plasma treatment and CNT coating. Electrical resistance of NH2-MWCNT coated polyester fabric reduced substantially for pretreated fabric with plasma which was subsequently coated with NH2-MWCNT in the presence of acrylic acid.