Thermo-responsive PNIPAm-based composite nanofibers prepared by electrospinning

Abstract

Flexible and wearable electronics capable of detecting the temperature, the motion and the stress in the body have been developing recently. Such devices rely heavily on the stimuli-responsive materials. Particularly, flexible materials which can give electrical response to the change of temperature are crucial for wearable healthcare electronics, and thus have received great research interests recently. Herein, a thermo-responsive copolymer was prepared by copolymerization between N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) and N-methylol acrylamide (NMA). AgNO3 was mixed with the P(NIPAm-co-NMA) solution to fabricate nanofibers by electrospinning, which was then converted into Ag by in-situ reduction with sodium borohydride. The electrical resistance of the composite nanofiber showed high sensitivity to the change of temperature. Furthermore, the composite nanofibers exhibited excellent stability during repeated heating-cooling cycles.