Surface Decoration and Functionalization on Polymerization-Induced Aramid Nanofibers: Implications for Barrier Films and Light-to-Heat Conversion

The increasing body of research on the special nanofibers based on high-performance aramids has created a demand for approachable surface engineering methods. Here, using polymerization-induced self-assembled (PISA) Para-aramid nanofibers (PANF) as the substrate, we propose a step-by-step decoration strategy on surfaces without deprotonation on poly(para-phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA). This strategy uses a modular design of chemical reactions that can be separately used so that the surface chemicals are selectable from alkoxysilane, functional sesquisiloxane, and polymer chains. The reaction modules can also be run in combination, which gives the polyaniline and PANF composite nanofibers (PANI/PANF) additional electrical activity and photothermal conversion capability. The unique surfaces of nanofibers built through the PISA process are effective at spatially tailoring the surface reactions to maintain the one-dimensional (1D) geometry after multiple steps of decoration. However, the theological behaviors of the nanofiber dispersion as well as the liquid wetting and mechanical properties of the corresponding films showed a distinct response to the variation on PANF surface molecules. Moreover, diverse applications of the films for barrier and light-to-heat conversion are also suggested and take advantage of the simple but flexible PISA preparation process.