Effect of Co-polyester antistatic agent modified by carbon nanotubes on the properties of polypropylene fibers

Abstract Antistatic polymer fibers were investigated by using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to enhance the antistatic ability of inner antistatic agents based on the mechanism of attracting moisture by polar radical groups. It is indicated that the antistatic ability of the fibers filled with composite antistatic agents that contain CNTs and organic antistatic agents was superior to that of the fibers filled either with pure organic antistatic agents or pure CNTs. The antistatic ability of the composite antistatic agent fabricated by an in situ process was superior to that of the composite antistatic agent fabricated by direct dispersing CNTs in the antistatic agent carrier. Moreover, the heat-treated CNTs could further enhance the antistatic effect compared with the initial CNTs. The antistatic effect is significantly influenced by the content of CNTs in the composite antistatic agent.