Polypyrrole-coated recycled polyphenylene sulfite nonwoven fabric with high electrical conductivity for heat generation

In order to introduce multifunctional properties into the recycled polyphenylene sulfite (PPS) nonwoven fabrics, highly conductive and hydrophobic fabrics with excellent Joule heating performance were fabricated by depositing in-situ polymerized polypyrrole (PPy) onto PPS nonwoven fabric and followed by a silicone coating process. The resultant PPy-coated nonwoven fabric exhibited high electrical conductivity. The surface resistivity of PPy-coated nonwoven fabric was less than 8.8 Ω/sq. The high conductivity of PPy coating provided the fabric with excellent electrical heating properties in conjunction with a photothermal heating properties. The saturation temperature of the samples can get to 125.6°C with 4V DC power. The thin silicone coating can help to resist the oxidation of PPy and endow the nonwoven fabrics with excellent water-resistant features. This study provided a simple and effective method to transform the recycled PPS nonwoven fabric into a multifunction material.