Preparation and Characterization of Carbon Nanofiber Composite Coated Fabric-Heating Elements

This study prepared fabric-heating elements of carbon nanofiber composite to characterize morphologies and electrical properties. Carbon nanofiber composite was prepared with 15wt% PVDF-HFP/acetone solution, and 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16wt% carbon nanofiber. Dispersion of solution was conducted with stirring for a week, sonification for 24 hours, and storage for a month, until coating. Carbon nanofiber composite coated fabrics were prepared by knife-edge coating on nylon fabrics with a thickness of 0.1mm. The morphologies of carbon nanofiber composite coated fabrics were measured by FE-SEM. Surface resistance was determined by KS K0555 and worksurface tester. A heating-pad clamping device connected to a variable AC/DC power supply was used for the electric heating characteristics of the samples and multi-layer fabrics. An infrared camera applied voltages to samples while maintaining a certain distance from fabric surfaces. The results of morphologies indicated that the CNF content increased specifically to the visibility and presence of carbon nanofiber. The surface resistance test results revealed that an increased CNF content improved the performance of coated fabrics. The results of electric heating properties, surface temperatures and current of 16wt% carbon nanofiber composite coated fabrics were 80℃ and 0.35A in the application of a 20V current. Carbon nanofiber composite coated fabrics have excellent electrical characteristics as fabric-heating elements.