Continuous fabrication of conductive UHMWPE yarns based on in-situ polymerization with different doping acids

• A continuous way to produce conductive UHMWPE/PANI composite yarns was presented.
• Plasma pretreatment was used to improve the electrical conductivity and durability of conductive yarns.
• The electrical conductivity of the conductive yarn peaked at 1 S/cm.

As a result of the difficulty associated with achieving continuous production of traditional in-situ polymerization when fabricating the skin-core structure of conductive polyaniline (PANI) composite fibers, we describe a novel method for continuous production of conductive composite yarns based on in-situ polymerization. First, atmospheric pressure plasma pre-treatment was used to improve the surface energy of the UHMWPE fibers. In this way, conductive UHMWPE/PANI composite yarns were produced using the novel method and analyzed to determine the chemical structure, morphology, mechanical properties, and the impact of using sulfuric and phosphoric acids in different concentrations on the yarns’ conductivity and conductive stability. The results showed that the PANI adhered to the surface of the UHMWPE yarns after treatment, and the amount of PANI increased with the doping acid concentration. After the conductive treatment, the breaking strength and elongation improved, whereas the initial modulus decreased compared to the untreated yarns. The variety and concentration of acid had a significant influence on the yarns’ conductivity, which reached as much as 1 S/cm. After a 2 h wash, the conductivity decreased to 15% and 11% for the composite yarns doped with sulfuric and phosphoric acid, respectively. After 9 months’ aging at room temperature conditions, the conductivity decreased to 75% and 63% of the original levels, respectively. In addition, the plasma pre-treatment exhibited a positive effect on the conductivity and washing durability of the composite yarns.

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