The effect of plasma modification on the sheet resistance of nylon fabrics coated with carbon nanotubes

Low-pressure oxygen and argon plasmas were used to pre-treat nylon fabrics, and the modified fabrics, together with the raw fabrics, were subsequently coated with single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by a dip-drying process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy analyses indicated the attachment of SWCNTs onto nylon fabrics. After the coating with SWCNTs, the plasma modified fabrics exhibited sheet resistance of as low as 2.0 kΩ/sq. with respect to 4.9 kΩ/sq. of the raw fabrics, presumably owing to the increase of fibre surface roughness incurred by the plasma modification, which is evidenced by SEM analyses. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis indicates the incorporation of oxygen functionalities on fibre surfaces in the plasma modification. This is responsible for the variation of the electrical conductance of SWCNT-coated fabrics with the type of plasma and the duration of plasma ablation.

Graphical abstractDownload full-size imageHighlights► Single walled carbon nanotube coated nylon fabrics exhibit electrically conductive behaviour. ► Plasma modified nylon fabrics exhibit sheet resistance of as low as 2.0 kΩ/sq. with respect to 4.9 kΩ/sq. of the untreated fabrics. ► The improvement in electrical conductance is associated with the increases of surface roughness of fibres and the incorporation of oxygen functionalities.