Yoshinobu Nakamura

Conducting Polymer-Metal Nanocomposite Coating on Fibers

Conducting polymers continue to be the focus of active research in diverse fields including electronics (Burroughes et al., 1988; Sailor et al., 1990; Gustafsson et al., 1992; Zhang et al., 1994), energy storage (Conway, 1991; Genies, 1991; Li et al., 1991), catalysis (Andrieux et al., 1982 ; Bull et al., 1983; Hable et al., 1993), chemical sensing (Josowicz et al., 1986; Heller, 1992; Gardner et al., 1993; Kuwabata et al., 1994; Freund et al., 1995) and biochemistry (Miller, 1988; Guimard et al., 2007). Despite the promise of these new materials and their widespread study, the scope of commercial uses remains small and relatively few viable technologies have emerged from the laboratory proof-of-concept stage. Limitations of processability such as low mechanical strength, poor flexibility and high cost have prevented conducting polymers from making significant commercial impact. In order to improve the processability of the conducting polymers, several approaches have been developed over the years: (1) synthesis of soluble conducting polymers by the addition of bulky side chains along the backbone (Wang et al., 2003), (2) synthesis in the form of colloidal dispersions by dispersion and emulsion polymerizations (Armes, 1998; Chehimi et al., 2004), (3) the use of metastable mixtures of monomer and oxidant that enable processability followed by in situ polymerization initiated by solvent evaporation (Grimaldo et al., 2007) and (4) fabrication of composite consisting of conducting polymers and substrates with high workability (Niwa et al., 1984; Paoli et al., 1984; Niwa et al., 1987; Yosomiya et al., 1986; Gregory et al., 1989; Heisey et al., 1993; Kuhn et al., 1995; Kincal et al., 1998; Appel et al., 1996; Collins et al., 1996; Kaynak et al., 2002; Han et al., 1999; Han et al., 2001; Dong et al., 2004; Dong et al., 2004; Abidian et al., 2006; Oh et al., 1999; Kim et al., 2002; Huang et al., 2005). There have been numerous reports on the deposition of air-stable conducting organic polymers such as polypyrrole (PPy), polyaniline (PANI), or poly(3,4ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) onto fibrous substrates (Gregory et al., 1989; Heisey et al., 1993; Kuhn et al., 1995; Kincal et al., 1998; Appel et al., 1996; Collins et al., 1996; Kaynak et al., 2002; Han et al., 1999; Han et al., 2001; Dong et al., 2004; Dong et al., 2004; Abidian et