Highly Stretchable and Conductive Carbon Fiber/Polyurethane Conductive Films Featuring Interlocking Interfaces.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Stretchable conductors are crucial for flexible electronics, but suffer from poor conductivity due to filler-matrix slippage.
• Interfacial adhesion is key to maintaining conductivity under strain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance interfacial adhesion and conductive stability in stretchable polyurethane composites.
• To develop a novel method for creating robust conductive networks in flexible materials.

Main Methods:

• Constructed interlocking interfaces using brush-like carbon fibers (CFs) decorated with zinc oxide nanowires (ZnO NWs).
• Fabricated a polyurethane (PU) conductive composite incorporating these modified CFs.
• Characterized mechanical strength, conductivity under strain, and application potential.

Main Results:

• Achieved high mechanical strength (7.19 MPa) and stable conductivity (26.3 S/m at 100% strain).
• Demonstrated suppression of filler slippage due to improved interfacial integration.
• Successfully applied the material as a thermal therapy unit and flexible circuit wire.

Conclusions:

• Interlocking interfaces created by ZnO NWs on CFs significantly improve stretchable conductor performance.
• This approach offers a facile route to stable, high-performance stretchable conductors for advanced electronics.
• The findings have broad implications for designing conductive composites with enhanced mechanical and electrical properties.