Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.0
4.7
Journals
Polymers
Special Issues
Polymers and Their Conductive Composites
share announcement

Polymers and Their Conductive Composites

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 16108

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Marta E. Plonska-Brzezinska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Organic Chemistry, Medical University of Bialystok, Mickiewicza 2A, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland
Interests: organic synthesis; polymer; physical chemistry; spectroscopic methods; electrochemistry; supercapacitor; electrocatalysis; carbon nanostructure; porous materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is focused on current state-of-the-art research on electroactive-based materials and their synthesis, as well as their physicochemical properties and applications. Special attention is given to pristine conducting polymers (CPs) and their conductive composites with other organic and inorganic components. When other components are incorporated into CPs, the materials form composites; in this particular case, they form conductive composites. These conductive composite materials have attracted considerable attention because of their unique physical and chemical properties, which are different at the macroscopic and microscopic scales. The design and synthesis of conductive composites result in the inheritance of the advantages of each component and offer new features because of the synergistic effects between the components. These materials are frequently applied in energy storage devices, thermoelectric devices, photovoltaic cells, electro- and photocatalysis, biomedicine as sensors and biosensors, etc.

Prof. Marta Plonska-brzezinska
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

  • conducting polymers
  • composites
  • smart materials
  • nanoparticles
  • energy storage devices
  • thermoelectric devices
  • catalysis
  • photovoltaic cells
  • biomedicine
  • sensors

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

10 pages, 3929 KiB  
Article
Fabrication of PEDOT:PSS/Ag2Se Nanowires for Polymer-Based Thermoelectric Applications
by Dabin Park, Minsu Kim and Jooheon Kim
Polymers 2020, 12(12), 2932; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12122932 - 8 Dec 2020
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3218
Abstract
Flexible Ag2Se NW/PEDOT:PSS thermoelectric composite films with different Ag2Se contents (10, 20, 30, 50, 70, and 80 wt.%) are fabricated. The Ag2Se nanowires are first fabricated with solution mixing. After that, Ag2Se NW/PEDOT:PSS composite film [...] Read more.
Flexible Ag2Se NW/PEDOT:PSS thermoelectric composite films with different Ag2Se contents (10, 20, 30, 50, 70, and 80 wt.%) are fabricated. The Ag2Se nanowires are first fabricated with solution mixing. After that, Ag2Se NW/PEDOT:PSS composite film was fabricated using a simple drop-casting method. To evaluate the potential applications of the Ag2Se NW/PEDOT:PSS composite, their thermoelectric properties are analyzed according to their Ag2Se contents, and strategies for maximizing the thermoelectric power factor are discussed. The maximum room-temperature power factor of composite film (178.59 μW/m·K2) is obtained with 80 wt.% Ag2Se nanowires. In addition, the composite film shows outstanding durability after 1000 repeat bending cycles. This work provides an important strategy for the fabrication of high-performance flexible thermoelectric composite films, which can be extended to other inorganic/organic composites and will certainly promote their development and thermoelectric applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers and Their Conductive Composites)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

11 pages, 4971 KiB  
Article
Antibacterial, Flexible, and Conductive Membrane Based on MWCNTs/Ag Coated Electro-Spun PLA Nanofibrous Scaffolds as Wearable Fabric for Body Motion Sensing
by Lu Gan, Aobo Geng, Ying Wu, Linjie Wang, Xingyu Fang, Lijie Xu and Changtong Mei
Polymers 2020, 12(1), 120; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12010120 - 5 Jan 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3336
Abstract
In the present study, flexible and conductive nanofiber membranes were prepared by coating PLA nanofibrous scaffolds with carbon nanotubes and silver nanoparticles. The morphology and structure of the prepared membrane was characterized, as well as its mechanical properties, electrical sensing behavior during consecutive [...] Read more.
In the present study, flexible and conductive nanofiber membranes were prepared by coating PLA nanofibrous scaffolds with carbon nanotubes and silver nanoparticles. The morphology and structure of the prepared membrane was characterized, as well as its mechanical properties, electrical sensing behavior during consecutive stretching-releasing cycles and human motion detecting performance. Furthermore, the antibacterial properties of the membrane was also investigated. Due to the synergistic and interconnected three-dimensional (3D) conductive networks, formed by carbon nanotubes and silver nanoparticles, the membrane exhibited repeatable and durable strain-dependent sensitivity. Further, the prepared membrane could accurately detect the motions of different body parts. Accompanied with promising antibacterial properties and washing fastness, the prepared flexible and conductive membrane provides great application potential as a wearable fabric for real-time body motion sensing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers and Their Conductive Composites)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

9 pages, 2437 KiB  
Article
Highly Sensitive Graphene/Polydimethylsiloxane Composite Films near the Threshold Concentration with Biaxial Stretching
by Anqi Liu, Zhengji Ni, Juan Chen and Yuanshen Huang
Polymers 2020, 12(1), 71; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12010071 - 2 Jan 2020
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2990
Abstract
Uniformly dispersed graphene effectively improves the strain-sensing capability of the composite film under a low graphene load in nanocomposites prepared with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and graphene (GNP) monolayer powder. The threshold concentration of graphene was determined by loading nanocomposites at different temperatures. For different [...] Read more.
Uniformly dispersed graphene effectively improves the strain-sensing capability of the composite film under a low graphene load in nanocomposites prepared with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and graphene (GNP) monolayer powder. The threshold concentration of graphene was determined by loading nanocomposites at different temperatures. For different concentrations, when using traditional uniaxial stretching, the rate of resistance change of films near the threshold concentration is five times higher than the rate of films with a high concentration. Compared with traditional uniaxial stretching, the biaxial stretching we introduced can effectively improve the sensitivity of the film by an order of magnitude. The change in the resistance of the film near the threshold concentration is due to the change of the tunnel length and the cross-section of the tunnel, whereas the high concentration of the film is due to the change of the conductive path inside the film. Biaxial stretching has different effects on films with different concentrations, but the final effect of increasing sensitivity is the same. This study provides guidance for improving the strain-sensing sensitivity of GNP/PDMS composite films and the application of biaxial tension in detecting human motions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers and Their Conductive Composites)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

12 pages, 4638 KiB  
Article
Significantly Improved Electrical Properties of Crosslinked Polyethylene Modified by UV-Initiated Grafting MAH
by Xin-Dong Zhao, Hong Zhao and Wei-Feng Sun
Polymers 2020, 12(1), 62; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12010062 - 1 Jan 2020
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3150
Abstract
Direct current (DC) electrical performances of crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) have been evidently improved by developing graft modification technique with ultraviolet (UV) photon-initiation. Maleic anhydride (MAH) molecules with characteristic cyclic anhydride were successfully grafted to polyethylene molecules under UV irradiation, which can be efficiently [...] Read more.
Direct current (DC) electrical performances of crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) have been evidently improved by developing graft modification technique with ultraviolet (UV) photon-initiation. Maleic anhydride (MAH) molecules with characteristic cyclic anhydride were successfully grafted to polyethylene molecules under UV irradiation, which can be efficiently realized in industrial cable production. The complying laws of electrical current varying with electric field and the Weibull statistics of dielectric breakdown strength at altered temperature for cable operation were analyzed to study the underlying mechanism of improving electrical insulation performances. Compared with pure XLPE, the appreciably decreased electrical conductivity and enhanced breakdown strength were achieved in XLPE-graft-MAH. The critical electric fields of the electrical conduction altering from ohm conductance to trap-limited mechanism significantly decrease with the increased testing temperature, which, however, can be remarkably raised by grafting MAH. At elevated temperatures, the dominant carrier transport mechanism of pure XLPE alters from Poole–Frenkel effect to Schottky injection, while and XLPE-graft-MAH materials persist in the electrical conductance dominated by Poole–Frenkel effect. The polar group of grafted MAH renders deep traps for charge carriers in XLPE-graft-MAH, and accordingly elevate the charge injection barrier and reduce charge mobility, resulting in the suppression of DC electrical conductance and the remarkable amelioration of insulation strength. The well agreement of experimental results with the quantum mechanics calculations suggests a prospective strategy of UV initiation for polar-molecule-grafting modification in the development of high-voltage DC cable materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers and Their Conductive Composites)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

14 pages, 4491 KiB  
Article
Fine Tuning of Electrical Transport and Dielectric Properties of Epoxy/Carbon Nanotubes Composites via Magnesium Oxide Additives
by Povilas Bertasius, Darya Meisak, Jan Macutkevic, Polina Kuzhir, Algirdas Selskis, Elena Volnyanko and Juras Banys
Polymers 2019, 11(12), 2044; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11122044 - 9 Dec 2019
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 2955
Abstract
The dielectric properties of epoxy/MWCNT (multi-walled carbon nanotubes)/MgO hybrid composites with a fixed MWCNT amount of 0.12 vol.% (0.2 wt.%) and varying MgO concentrations up to 3 vol.% were investigated in broad frequency (20–40 GHz) and temperature (20–500 K) ranges. The composites with [...] Read more.
The dielectric properties of epoxy/MWCNT (multi-walled carbon nanotubes)/MgO hybrid composites with a fixed MWCNT amount of 0.12 vol.% (0.2 wt.%) and varying MgO concentrations up to 3 vol.% were investigated in broad frequency (20–40 GHz) and temperature (20–500 K) ranges. The composites with up to 2 vol.% MgO nanoparticles concentration showed a significant increase of DC conductivity in relation to their non MgO-containing counterparts. The optimal content of MgO was found, i.e., 0.46 vol.%, which gave up to 2.5 orders of magnitude larger DC conductivity than those of the samples prepared without MgO additives. Using various amounts of MgO, it is possible to predictably vary the broadband electromagnetic properties of the composites, even entirely eliminating the electrical percolation. Electrical transport at different temperatures can be substantially controlled by the addition of given amounts of MgO. The broadband properties are discussed in terms of the distribution of relaxation times, which are proven to be an effective, noninvasive, and simple tool for checking composite fabrication issues, such as the distribution of MWCNT aggregates within the epoxy matrix. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers and Their Conductive Composites)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5
Back to TopTop