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Polymers
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Conductive Polymer Composites
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Conductive Polymer Composites

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2020) | Viewed by 24124

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Sunghun Cho

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea
Interests: polymer nanocomposite; conductive polymer; functional polymer material; electroactive polymer; polymer processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on state-of-the-art research on conductive polymer (CP) composites and their applications. In addition to the intrinsic advantages of polymeric materials, such as their processability, light weight, and low cost, CPs can provide electrical conductivity after proper doping processes. Furthermore, the doping levels and oxidation states of CPs are reversible and tunable, which allow CPs to be distinguished from other organic semiconductors. Especially, CPs provide excellent compatibility with various other components, such as inorganics, metals, and carbon nanomaterials, resulting in unexpected synergistic effects from each component. Thus, CP composites have been widely utilized as electrode materials for solar cells, supercapacitors, chemical/biological sensors, thermoelectric (TE) devices, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, anticorrosion coatings, organic transistors, and so forth. Considering the aforementioned trends, demands for CP composites are continuously growing. Accordingly, profound knowledge and deeper understanding of new technologies using CP composites are very important. This Special Issue welcomes original papers and reviews regarding CP composites as follows:

- Fabrication methods of the CP composites with improved optical, electrical, electrochemical, mechanical, and thermal properties;

- Supercapacitors, solar cells, electrochromic windows, and fuel cells using CP composites;

- Chemical/biological sensors using CP composites as electrode materials;

- Advanced printing and patterning techniques using CP composites;

- Thermoelectric (TE) devices, antennas, EMI shielding, anticorrosion coatings, and organic thin film transistors (OTFTs);

- Other novel and unique applications of CP composites.

Dr. Sunghun Cho
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • polymer composite
  • conductive polymer
  • nanomaterial
  • electroactive polymer
  • polyaniline
  • poly(3,4-dioxythiophene)
  • polythiophene
  • polypyrrole
  • graphene
  • carbon nanomaterial

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 7258 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Dye and Pigment Concentrations on the Diameter of Melt-Electrospun Polylactic Acid Fibers
by N.K. Balakrishnan, K. Koenig and G. Seide
Polymers 2020, 12(10), 2321; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12102321 - 11 Oct 2020
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3557
Abstract
Sub-microfibers and nanofibers produce more breathable fabrics than coarse fibers and are therefore widely used in the textiles industry. They are prepared by electrospinning using a polymer solution or melt. Solution electrospinning produces finer fibers but requires toxic solvents. Melt electrospinning is more [...] Read more.
Sub-microfibers and nanofibers produce more breathable fabrics than coarse fibers and are therefore widely used in the textiles industry. They are prepared by electrospinning using a polymer solution or melt. Solution electrospinning produces finer fibers but requires toxic solvents. Melt electrospinning is more environmentally friendly, but is also technically challenging due to the low electrical conductivity and high viscosity of the polymer melt. Here we describe the use of colorants as additives to improve the electrical conductivity of polylactic acid (PLA). The addition of colorants increased the viscosity of the melt by >100%, but reduced the electrical resistance by >80% compared to pure PLA (5 GΩ). The lowest electrical resistance of 50 MΩ was achieved using a composite containing 3% (w/w) indigo. However, the thinnest fibers (52.5 µm, 53% thinner than pure PLA fibers) were obtained by adding 1% (w/w) alizarin. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that fibers containing indigo featured polymer aggregates that inhibited electrical conductivity, and thus increased the fiber diameter. With further improvements to avoid aggregation, the proposed melt electrospinning process could complement or even replace industrial solution electrospinning and dyeing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conductive Polymer Composites)
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11 pages, 1385 KiB  
Article
Boosting the Power Factor of Benzodithiophene Based Donor–Acceptor Copolymers/SWCNTs Composites through Doping
by Zhongming Chen, Mengfei Lai, Lirong Cai, Wenqiao Zhou, Dexun Xie, Chengjun Pan and Yongfu Qiu
Polymers 2020, 12(7), 1447; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12071447 - 28 Jun 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2583
Abstract
In this study, a benzodithiophene (BDT)-based donor (D)–acceptor (A) polymer containing carbazole segment in the side-chain was designed and synthesized and the thermoelectric composites with 50 wt % of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were prepared via ultrasonication method. Strong interfacial interactions existed [...] Read more.
In this study, a benzodithiophene (BDT)-based donor (D)–acceptor (A) polymer containing carbazole segment in the side-chain was designed and synthesized and the thermoelectric composites with 50 wt % of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were prepared via ultrasonication method. Strong interfacial interactions existed in both of the composites before and after immersing into the 2,3,5,6-Tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4TCNQ) solution as confirmed by UV-Vis-NIR, Raman, XRD and SEM characterizations. After doping the composites by F4TCNQ, the electrical conductivity of the composites increased from 120.32 S cm−1 to 1044.92 S cm−1 in the room temperature. With increasing the temperature, the electrical conductivities and Seebeck coefficients of the undoped composites both decreased significantly for the composites; the power factor at 475 K was only 6.8 μW m−1 K−2, which was about nine times smaller than the power factor at room temperature (55.9 μW m−1 K−2). In the case of doped composites, although the electrical conductivity was deceased from 1044.9 S cm−1 to 504.17 S cm−1, the Seebeck coefficient increased from 23.76 μV K−1 to 35.69 μW m−1 K−2, therefore, the power factors of the doped composites were almost no change with heating the composite films. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conductive Polymer Composites)
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12 pages, 4091 KiB  
Article
Ruthenium Decorated Polypyrrole Nanoparticles for Highly Sensitive Hydrogen Gas Sensors Using Component Ratio and Protonation Control
by Jungkyun Oh, Jun Seop Lee and Jyongsik Jang
Polymers 2020, 12(6), 1427; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12061427 - 26 Jun 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2674
Abstract
Despite being highly flammable at lower concentrations and causing suffocation at higher concentrations, hydrogen gas continues to play an important role in various industrial processes. Therefore, an appropriate monitoring system is crucial for processes that use hydrogen. In this study, we found a [...] Read more.
Despite being highly flammable at lower concentrations and causing suffocation at higher concentrations, hydrogen gas continues to play an important role in various industrial processes. Therefore, an appropriate monitoring system is crucial for processes that use hydrogen. In this study, we found a nanocomposite comprising of ruthenium nanoclusters decorated on carboxyl polypyrrole nanoparticles (Ru_CPPy) to be successful in detecting hydrogen gas through a simple sonochemistry method. We found that the morphology and density control of the ruthenium component increased the active surface area to the target analyte (hydrogen molecule). Carboxyl polypyrrole (CPPy) in the nanocomposite was protonated to increase the charge transfer rate during gas detection. This material-based sensor electrode was highly sensitive (down to 0.5 ppm) toward hydrogen gas and had a fast response and recovery time under ambient conditions. The sensing ability of the electrode was maintained up to 15 days without structure deformations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conductive Polymer Composites)
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16 pages, 2117 KiB  
Article
Fabrication of Poly(vinyl alcohol)-Polyaniline Nanofiber/Graphene Hydrogel for High-Performance Coin Cell Supercapacitor
by Hyeonseo Joo, Hoseong Han and Sunghun Cho
Polymers 2020, 12(4), 928; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12040928 - 17 Apr 2020
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4432
Abstract
Electroactive polymer hydrogel offers several advantages for electrical devices, including straightforward synthesis, high conductivity, excellent redox behavior, structural robustness, and outstanding mechanical properties. Here, we report an efficient strategy for generating polyvinyl alcohol–polyaniline–multilayer graphene hydrogels (PVA–PANI–MLG HDGs) with excellent scalability and significantly improved [...] Read more.
Electroactive polymer hydrogel offers several advantages for electrical devices, including straightforward synthesis, high conductivity, excellent redox behavior, structural robustness, and outstanding mechanical properties. Here, we report an efficient strategy for generating polyvinyl alcohol–polyaniline–multilayer graphene hydrogels (PVA–PANI–MLG HDGs) with excellent scalability and significantly improved mechanical, electrical, and electrochemical properties; the hydrogels were then utilized in coin cell supercapacitors. Production can proceed through the simple formation of boronate (–O–B–O–) bonds between PANI and PVA chains; strong intermolecular interactions between MLG, PANI, and PVA chains contribute to stronger and more rigid HDGs. We identified the optimal amount of PVA (5 wt.%) that produces a nanofiber-like PVA–PANI HDG with better charge transport properties than PANI HDGs produced by earlier approaches. The PVA–PANI–MLG HDG demonstrated superior tensile strength (8.10 MPa) and higher specific capacitance (498.9 F/cm2, 166.3 F/cm3, and 304.0 F/g) than PVA–PANI HDGs without MLG. The remarkable reliability of the PVA–PANI–MLG HDG was demonstrated by 92.6% retention after 3000 cycles of galvanostatic charge–discharge. The advantages of this HDG mean that a coin cell supercapacitor assembled using it is a promising energy storage device for mobile and miniaturized electronics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conductive Polymer Composites)
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26 pages, 9132 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Dielectric Permittivity of Optimized Surface Modified of Barium Titanate Nanocomposites
by Udhay Sundar, Zichen Lao and Kimberly Cook-Chennault
Polymers 2020, 12(4), 827; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12040827 - 5 Apr 2020
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4291
Abstract
High permittivity polymer-ceramic nanocomposite dielectric films take advantage of the ease of flexibility in processing of polymers and the functionality of electroactive ceramic fillers. Hence, films like these may be applied to embedded energy storage devices for printed circuit electrical boards. However, the [...] Read more.
High permittivity polymer-ceramic nanocomposite dielectric films take advantage of the ease of flexibility in processing of polymers and the functionality of electroactive ceramic fillers. Hence, films like these may be applied to embedded energy storage devices for printed circuit electrical boards. However, the incompatibility of the hydrophilic ceramic filler and hydrophobic epoxy limit the filler concentration and therefore, dielectric permittivity of these materials. Traditionally, surfactants and core-shell processing of ceramic fillers are used to achieve electrostatic and steric stabilization for adequate ceramic particle distribution but, questions regarding these processes still remain. The purpose of this work is to understand the role of surfactant concentration ceramic particle surface morphology, and composite dielectric permittivity and conductivity. A comprehensive study of barium titanate-based epoxy nanocomposites was performed. Ethanol and 3-glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilan surface treatments were performed, where the best reduction in particle agglomeration, highest value of permittivity and the lowest value of loss were observed. The results demonstrate that optimization of coupling agent may lead to superior permittivity values and diminished losses that are ~2–3 times that of composites with non-optimized and traditional surfactant treatments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conductive Polymer Composites)
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Review

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40 pages, 12242 KiB  
Review
Recent Progress in Conducting Polymers for Hydrogen Storage and Fuel Cell Applications
by Neelima Mahato, Hyeji Jang, Archana Dhyani and Sunghun Cho
Polymers 2020, 12(11), 2480; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12112480 - 26 Oct 2020
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 6020
Abstract
Hydrogen is a clean fuel and an abundant renewable energy resource. In recent years, huge scientific attention has been invested to invent suitable materials for its safe storage. Conducting polymers has been extensively investigated as a potential hydrogen storage and fuel cell membrane [...] Read more.
Hydrogen is a clean fuel and an abundant renewable energy resource. In recent years, huge scientific attention has been invested to invent suitable materials for its safe storage. Conducting polymers has been extensively investigated as a potential hydrogen storage and fuel cell membrane due to the low cost, ease of synthesis and processability to achieve the desired morphological and microstructural architecture, ease of doping and composite formation, chemical stability and functional properties. The review presents the recent progress in the direction of material selection, modification to achieve appropriate morphology and adsorbent properties, chemical and thermal stabilities. Polyaniline is the most explored material for hydrogen storage. Polypyrrole and polythiophene has also been explored to some extent. Activated carbons derived from conducting polymers have shown the highest specific surface area and significant storage. This review also covers recent advances in the field of proton conducting solid polymer electrolyte membranes in fuel cells application. This review focuses on the basic structure, synthesis and working mechanisms of the polymer materials and critically discusses their relative merits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conductive Polymer Composites)
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