Conductive polyurethane foam and its manufacture

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a conductive polyurethane foam in which the polymerization is made easy, the refinement of pyrrole or the like is not required, the recovery rate of a solvent is enhanced, and the pre-treatment is not required at all; and a conductive polyurethane foam having excellent performances. This method includes a process: of coating an oxidizer solution (methanol solution containing FeCl.sub.3 and FeCl.sub.2) on surfaces of cells of a soft polyurethane foam; a process of perfectly removing the solvent of the oxidizer solution by vacuum drying; a process of polymerizing a compound (pyrrole or the like) with conjugated double bonds on the surfaces of cells of the continuous forming type polyurethane foam after being coated with the oxidizer in a vapor-phase atmosphere for forming a conductive electronic conjugated polymer layer (polypyrrole layer or the like) of the compound on the surfaces of the cells; a process of dipping the polyurethane foam formed with the polymer layer in a solvent for extracting the pyrrole and the oxide; and a process for vacuum-drying it. A conductive polyurethane foam can be continuously manufactured by this process. The conductive polyurethane foam thus manufactured has an electric conductivity ranging from 10.sup.-7 to 10.sup.-2 S/cm.