Abstract
This research work concerns the development of dehydrochlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) (DHPVC) and DHPVC nanofibres for use as components in new generation solar cells. Firstly, DHPVC with a variety of degrees of dehydrochlorination was prepared at 70 °C. The primary aim of this work was to investigate the effects of reaction time (15–105 h) on the molecular structure and conductivity of the modified PVC. In addition, the feasibility of preparing DHPVC nanofibre web via an electrospinning process was also explored. The effects of electrospinning on the morphology and conductivity of the materials were also of interest. From the results, it was found that the degree of dehydrochlorination and electrical conductivity of DHPVC are interrelated and both increased linearly with the reaction time. After carrying out electrospinning using a DHPVC sample which had been subjected to 30 h reaction time (DHPVC-30h), a randomly oriented fibre web with a smoother fibre surface and free from beads was obtained. This was not the case for the electrospun PVC and DHPVC-15h fibres. The electrical conductivity values of the electrospun DHPVC were also higher than those of the dense DHPVC film analogues. This is ascribed to an enhanced molecular alignment and a greater conjugation length of the polymer induced by the electrospinning.