Study On Conductive Paper Made From Pedot/Pulp Fibers Prepared By In Situ Composite Method

The conductive paper is one kind of functional paper which could be widely used as antistatic packaging material, eletromagnetic shielding material, new energy and electrochemical material, facial heating material, sensor and driven material, etc. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)(PEDOT) coated conductive paper was prepared via in-situ polymerization in pulp fiber suspension in this paper. The development of conductive composite can not only make the paper with a particular function, but also open up a new way for the processing and utilizing of conductive Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene).Conductive paper was prepared via in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) in pulp suspension by using iron(Ⅲ) p-toluenesulfonate (Fe(OTs)3) and ferric trichloride (FeCl3) as oxidant. The deposition of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)(PEDOT) on the pulp fiber surface was verified and characterized by ATR-FTIR and SEM analysis. The factors affecting the conductivity of the PEDOT-coated paper were investigated, and the preparation conditions of the conductive paper with low resistivity and excellent environmental stability were obtained. When iron(Ⅲ) p-toluenesulfonate (Fe(OTs)3) was chosen as oxidant, the optimum reaction temperature and time were60℃and4h, respectively. The molar ratio of EDOT to Fe(OTs)3of1:1was optimal when considering both cost and performance factors. When ferric trichloride (FeCl3) was chosen as oxidant meanwhile selecting several dopants containing sulfonic acid groups, the optimum reaction temperature was60℃, and the optimum reaction temperature was no less than3h, and the optimum molar ratio of EDOT to ferric trichloride and dopant were both1:2. Better performance of conductive paper was attained when PTSA, NSA used as dopant rather than PTSA-Na or SSA.The percolation behavior of the conductive paper was investigated. The conductivity of the PEDOT-coated paper could be controlled by adjusting EDOT concentration. The threshold concentration of EDOT was about3g/L when iron(Ⅲ) p-toluenesulfonate (Fe(OTs)3) was chosen as oxidant, and a volume resistivity as low as5.9×103Ω·cm could be achieved; The threshold concentration of EDOT was about4g/L when ferric trichloride (FeCl3) was chosen as oxidant, and a volume resistivity as low as336.9Ω·cm could be achieved,which both reached the conductivity range of electrostatic conductor. In addition, it was found that the amount of PEDOT coated on pulp fibers increased almost linearly with the increase of the concentration of EDOT.The electrical properties and mechanical properties of the conductive paper were investigated. The environmental stability of the PEDOT-coated conductive paper was very good due to the much higher oxidation potential of PEDOT. The conductive paper had good strength properties, a small amount of PEDOT deposition did not lead to substantially decline in paper tensile strength.The study on preparation of conducting plant fiber by in-situ polymerization would provide an important theoretical support for the development of special functional or intelligent new fiber products and the high value utilization of environmentally friendly and renewable biological resource.