Vapor Phase Deposition of Electroactive Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) onto Electrospun Commodity Polymer NanofibersShuvo Brahma 1, Aidan Gustafson 2,3, Junaid ur Rehman 1, Nicholas R. Lontkowski 2, Alyssa Libonati 3, Marcus Goss 4, R. Kōnane Bay 3, Jennifer A. Irvin 1,2,5, Tania Betancourt 1,2
1Material Science, Engineering and Commercialization, Texas State University, 2Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, 3Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 4STAR Park, Texas State University, 5College of Science and Engineering, University of Houston-Clear Lake
This paper describes a simple technique for coating electrospun PAN nanofibers with electroactive polymers using vapor deposition. The effects of the oxidant FeCl₃ on the deposition of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) coatings on PAN were investigated to understand and optimize polymer growth, fiber diameter, and overall mechanical strength of the nanofiber mats.
