Improving EAPs With CNTs
26 December 2007, 13:14
Categories: nanotubes-wires-fullerenes smt-polymorphic-shape-shifters
Electroactive polymers (EAPs) or conductive polymers combine the electrical conductivity of a metal with the mechanical flexibility and processing properties of a polymer. They hold great promise as smart materials for flexible plastic and wearable electronics. Unfortunately, degradation issues resulting from their low environmental, thermal, and electronic stability, as well as processing problems, affect their reliability and long-term usefulness.
To address these issues and improve their overall properties, researchers at the Spanish National Research Council are combining EAPs with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Their starting material was polyaniline (PANI), a typical member of the EAP family, and the final composite contained about 50 wt% of multiwall nanotubes (MWNTs). The researchers believe that the composite material provides a good basis for further advances in flexible electronic devices such as plastic circuits, solar cells, organic light-emitting diodes, and wearable e-textiles. They are currently seeking to explore these possibilities.
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Posted by: The Editors
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