Composite Polyamide 6/Polypyrrole Conductive Nanofibers

Conductive Polyamide 6 (PA-6) nanofibers were prepared by making a conductive polypyrrole coating obtained by a polymerization of pyrrole molecules directly on the fiber surface. A solution of PA-6 added with ferric chloride in formic acid has been electrospun and the fibers obtained showed an average diameter of 260 nm with a smooth surface. The fibers have been then exposed to pyrrole vapours and a compact coating of polypyrrole was formed on the fiber surface. The growth of the coating was monitored by measuring the increment of the fiber diameter and by FT-IR spectroscopy. The same technique was used to study the interaction between the ferric chloride and the polyamide chains. The polypyrrole coating on the fibers turned out to be conductive with a pure resistive characteristic and the stability of the conductivity was evaluated in air at room temperature.