Electrically Conductive\nPolyaniline/Polyimide Nanofiber Membranes Prepared via a Combination\nof Electrospinning and Subsequent In situ Polymerization Growth

Abstract

Highly aligned polyimide (PI) nanofiber membranes have\nbeen prepared by electrospinning equipped with a high speed rotating\ncollector. As the electrospun polyimide nanofiber membranes possess\nlarge surface area, they can be used as the template for in situ growth\nof polyaniline (PANi) by using FeCl₃ as the oxidant. It\nis found that PANi nanoparticles can be uniformly distributed on the\nsurface of highly aligned PI nanofibers due to the low oxidization/reduction\npotential of FeCl₃ and the active nucleation sites of the\nfunctionalized PI nanofibers. The as-prepared PANi/PI composite membranes\nnot only possess excellent thermal and mechanical properties but also\nshow good electrical conductivity, pH sensitivity and significantly\nimproved electromagnetic impedance properties. This is a facile method\nfor fabricating high-performance and multifunctional composites that\ncan find potential applications in electrical and aerospace fields.