Optimisation of polypyrrole-modified conductive nonwoven fabrics: study of electrical and sensing properties

Abstract

This study aims to develop a nonwoven material with excellent conductive properties. We first used four nonwoven materials, namely viscose, polypropylene (PP), nylon, and polyester (PET), as substrates to prepare conductive nonwovens by polymerizing pyrrole monomer and ferric chloride as raw materials. After preliminary experiments, we chose the viscose-based material with the best performance for in-depth study. We optimized the conductive properties by controlling the reaction conditions and explored these conditions. Subsequently, the properties of these samples were thoroughly evaluated using infrared spectral analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy observation, and electrical resistance testing. We found that the prepared conductive viscose nonwovens exhibited optimal electrical conductivity when the pyrrole concentration was 0.6 mol/L, the reaction temperature was 10 °C, and the reaction time was 0.5 h. The results showed that the nonwovens exhibited optimal electrical conductivity. This study not only provides a set of feasible technical solutions for the development of high-performance conductive nonwovens but also lays a solid foundation for the application of such materials in the field of smart wearable devices. Through further research and development, these materials are expected to be widely used in health monitoring and human–computer interaction, thus improving people’s quality of life.