Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/carbon black composite fibers prepared by electrospinning

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/carbon black (CB) composite fibers with improved mechanical properties in tensile modulus and tensile strength are prepared by eletrospinning. Stable dispersions suitable for electrospinning are obtained by dispersing melt pre-compounded PET/CB composites in hexafluoroisopropanol. The fiber morphology and CB dispersion are investigated by FESEM and TEM. The addition of CB has no obvious effect on fiber diameter, and the average fiber diameters for all the samples are around 2–3 μm. CB in the fibers is in the form of submicron-sized clusters. The thermal properties of the PET/CB composite fibers are evaluated by DSC, showing almost unchanged melting temperature and crystallinity. Uniaxial tensile tests are used to measure the mechanical properties of the PET/CB composite fiber mats. The fiber mats containing 1 wt%–8.5 wt% CB have significantly improved tensile modulus compared to neat PET fiber mat, showing reinforcing effect of CB. The electrical conductivity of the fiber mats has also been tested.