Improvement of electrical property in MWCNTs/PEDOT-pss nanocomposite films via microwave treatment

This work investigated an efficient, cost-effective, and mild method for modifying MWCNTs without adding modifier via microwave irradiation in a short time by focusing on the preparation and electrical properties of MWCNTs/PEDOT-PSS nanocomposite films. The MWCNTs samples were found to contain a significant proportion of higher graphitized structure compared to before microwave exposure. PEDOT-PSS nanocomposite films with pristine and microwave treated MWCNTs were fabricated using tape casting technique. The electrical conductivity of pristine and microwave treated MWCNTs/PEDOT-PSS nanocomposite films was enhanced with the increment of MWCNTs loading. It was also observed that the electrical conductivity of microwave treated MWCNTs composites was higher than one of pristine MWCNTs composites. Additionally, using PEDOT-PSS as a host material good dispersion of microwave treated MWCNTs could be achieved enhancing the conductivity with relatively low loadings (<5 wt%). Additions of MWCNTs at ~1 wt% were considered to be suitable for electrical conductivity, and cost considerations.