LAUSR

Carbon nanofiber/polycaprolactone (CNF/PCL) composite fibers are fabricated using a microfluidic approach. The fibers are made with different content levels of CNFs and flow rate ratios between the core and sheath fluids. The electrical conductivity and tensile properties of these fibers are then investigated. It is found that at a CNF concentration of 3 wt%, the electrical conductivity of the composite fiber significantly increases to 1.11 S m−1. The yield strength, Young's modulus, and ultimate strength of the 3 wt% CNF increase relative to the pure PCL by factors of 1.72, 2.88, and 1.23, respectively. Additionally, the results show that a microfluidic approach can be considered as an effective method to align CNFs along the fibers in the longitudinal direction.