Tensile modulus modeling of carbon‐filled liquid crystal polymer composites

Electrically and thermally conductive resins can be produced by adding conductive fillers to insulating polymers. Mechanical properties, such as tensile modulus, are also important. This research focused on performing compounding runs followed by injection molding and tensile testing of carbon‐filled Vectra liquid crystal polymer. The two carbon fillers investigated were Thermocarb synthetic graphite particles and Fortafil carbon fiber at varying filler amounts. The tensile modulus experimental results were compared to results predicted by several different models. It was found that the Halpin Tsai 2D Randomly Oriented fiber model provided the best fit to the experimental data. The degree of filler‐polymer adhesion was also studied with nanoscratch tests for synthetic graphite and carbon fiber fillers in three polymers: Vectra, nylon 6,6, and polycarbonate. The adhesion trends seen in the nanoscratch tests showed qualitative agreement with the tensile modulus, and should be considered in formulating advanced tensile modulus models. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Effects of carbon fillers on tensile and flexural properties in polypropylene‐based resins

A potential application for conductive resins is in bipolar plates for use in fuel cells. The addition of carbon filler can increase the electrical and thermal conductivities of the polymer matrix but will also have an effect on the tensile and flexural properties, important for bipolar plates. In this research, three different types of carbon (carbon black, synthetic graphite, and carbon nanotubes) were added to polypropylene and the effects of these single fillers on the flexural and tensile properties were measured. All three carbon fillers caused an increase in the tensile and flexural modulus of the composite. The ultimate tensile and flexural strengths decreased with the addition of carbon black and synthetic graphite, but increased for carbon nanotubes/polypropylene composites due to the difference in the aspect ratio of this filler compared to carbon black and synthetic graphite. Finally, it was found that the Nielsen model gave the best prediction of the tensile modulus for the polypropylene based composites. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Synergistic effects of carbon fillers on tensile and flexural properties in liquid‐crystal polymer based resins

One emerging market for thermally and electrically conductive resins is bipolar plates for use in fuel cells. Adding carbon fillers to thermoplastic resins increases the composite thermal and electrical conductivity. These fillers have an effect on the composite tensile and flexural properties, which are also important for bipolar plates. In this study, various amounts of three different types of carbon (carbon black, synthetic graphite particles, and carbon fibers) were added to Vectra A950RX liquid‐crystal polymer. In addition, composites containing combinations of fillers were also investigated via a factorial design. The tensile and flexural properties of the resulting composites were then measured. The objective of this study was to determine the effects and interactions of each filler with respect to the tensile and flexural properties. The addition of carbon black caused the tensile and flexural properties to decrease. Adding synthetic graphite particles caused the tensile and flexural modulus to increase. The addition of carbon fiber caused the tensile and flexural modulus and ultimate flexural strength to increase. In many cases, combining two different fillers caused a statistically significant effect on composite tensile and flexural properties at the 95% confidence level. For example, when 40 wt % synthetic graphite particles and 4 wt % carbon black were combined, the composite ultimate tensile and flexural strength increased more than what would be expected from the individual additive effect of each single filler. It is possible that linkages were formed between the carbon black and synthetic graphite particles that resulted in improved ultimate tensile and flexural strength. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Tensile properties of carbon filled liquid crystal polymer composites

Electrically and thermally conductive resins can be produced by adding carbon fillers. Mechanical properties such as tensile modulus, ultimate tensile strength, and strain at ultimate tensile strength are vital to the composite performance in fuel cell bipolar plate applications. This research focused on performing compounding runs followed by injection molding and tensile testing of carbon filled Vectra A950RX liquid crystal polymer composites. The four carbon fillers investigated included an electrically conductive carbon black, thermocarb synthetic graphite particles, and two carbon fibers (Fortafil 243 and Panex 30). For each different filler type, resins were produced and tested that contained varying amounts of these single carbon fillers. The carbon fiber samples exhibited superior tensile properties, with a large increase in tensile modulus over the base polymer, and very low drop in the ultimate tensile strength as the filler volume fraction was increased. The strain at the ultimate tensile strength was least affected by the addition of the Panex carbon fiber but was significantly affected by the Fortafil carbon fiber. In general, composites containing synthetic graphite did not perform as well as carbon fiber composites. Carbon black composites exhibited poor tensile properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 29:15–21, 2008. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Thermally conductive nylon 6,6 and polycarbonate based resins. II. Modeling

Increasing the thermal conductivity of typically insulating polymers opens new markets. A thermally conductive resin can be used for heat‐sink applications. This research focused on extruding followed by injection molding and thermal conductivity testing of carbon filled nylon 6,6 and polycarbonate‐based resins. The three carbon fillers investigated included an electrically conductive carbon black, synthetic graphite particles, and a milled pitch‐based carbon fiber. For each polymer, conductive resins were produced and tested that contained varying amounts of these single carbon fillers. In addition, combinations of fillers were investigated by conducting a full 2³ factorial design and a complete replicate in each polymer. These through‐plane thermal conductivity experimental results were then compared to results predicted by several different thermal conductivity models. An improved thermal conductivity model was developed that fit the experimental results well for resins that contained single fillers and combinations of different fillers. This improved model was based on the original Nielsen model. A single value for the shape parameter, A (which is needed in Nielsen's model), was used for all three different fillers. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 123–130, 2003     

Effects of carbon fillers on the rheology of highly filled liquid‐crystal polymer based resins

Adding conductive carbon fillers to insulating resins increases the composite electrical and thermal conductivity. Often, enough of a single type of carbon filler is added to achieve the desired conductivity while still allowing the material to be molded into a bipolar plate for a fuel cell. In this study, various amounts of three different carbons (carbon black, synthetic graphite particles, and carbon fiber) were added to Vectra A950RX liquid‐crystal polymer. The rheological properties of the resulting single‐filler composites were measured. In addition, the rheological properties of composites containing combinations of different carbon fillers were studied via a factorial design. In all cases, the viscosity increased with increasing filler volume fraction and followed a shear‐thinning power‐law model. The factorial design results indicated that each of the single fillers and all the filler combinations caused a statistically significant increase in the composite viscosity when compared at a shear rate of 500 s^?1 or at a stress of 10⁵ Pa. For composites containing synthetic graphite particles and/or carbon fiber, the viscosity variation with the volume fraction of carbon followed a modified Maron–Pierce equation. When compared at a constant volume fraction of carbon, composites containing carbon black showed viscosity enhancement above and beyond that shown by the other composites. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Electrical conductivity of carbon‐filled polypropylene‐based resins

Adding conductive carbon fillers to insulating thermoplastic resins increases composite electrical conductivity. Often, as much of a single type of carbon filler is added to achieve the desired conductivity and still allow the material to be molded into a bipolar plate for a fuel cell. In this study, various amounts of three different carbons (carbon black, synthetic graphite particles, and carbon nanotubes) were added to polypropylene resin. The resulting single‐filler composites were tested for electrical resistivity (1/electrical conductivity). The effects of single fillers and combinations of the different carbon fillers were studied via a factorial design. The percolation threshold was 1.4 vol % for the composites containing only carbon black, 2.1 vol % for those containing only carbon nanotubes, and 13 vol % for those containing only synthetic graphite particles. The factorial results indicate that the composites containing only single fillers (synthetic graphite followed closely by carbon nanotubes and then carbon black) caused a statistically significant decrease in composite electrical resistivity. All of the composites containing combinations of different fillers had a statistically significant effect that increased the electrical resistivity. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Tensile and impact properties of carbon filled nylon‐6,6 based resins

Electrically and thermally conductive resins can be produced by adding conductive fillers to insulating polymers. Mechanical properties such as tensile modulus, ultimate tensile stress, strain at ultimate tensile stress, and notched Izod impact strength are also important and cannot be ignored. This study focused on performing compounding runs, followed by injection molding and evaluation of tensile and impact properties of carbon filled nylon‐6,6 based resins. The three carbon fillers investigated include an electrically conductive carbon black, synthetic graphite particles, and a surface treated polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based carbon fiber. Resins containing varying amounts of these single carbon fillers were produced and tested. In addition, combinations of fillers were investigated by conducting a full 2³ factorial design and a complete replicate. The addition of carbon fiber increased the composite tensile modulus, ultimate tensile stress, and impact strength. Also, in many cases, combining two or three different fillers caused a statistically significant effect at a 95% confidence level. When comparing the results of this study with prior work, it appears that increased heteroatoms present on the carbon fiber surface likely improve composite ultimate tensile stress and impact strength. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 2881–2893, 2004     

Thermal conductivity models for carbon/liquid crystal polymer composites

Thermally conductive resins are needed for bipolar plates in fuel cells. Currently, the materials used for these bipolar plates often contain a single type of graphite in a thermosetting resin. In this study, varying amounts of four different types of polyacrylonitrile carbon fillers (Ketjenblack carbon black, Thermocarb synthetic graphite, Fortafil 243 carbon fiber, and Panex 30 carbon fiber) were added to a thermoplastic matrix (Vectra A950RX Liquid Crystal Polymer), with the resulting resins tested for through‐plane and in‐plane thermal conductivity. There are two unique contributions of this work. The first contribution is the use of the Nielsen model for the through‐plane thermal conductivity as a function of the single filler volume fraction. The model fits the data for all composites well. The second contribution is the development of a new, accurate, empirical model to predict the in‐plane thermal conductivity for all resins containing synthetic graphite or carbon fiber. Both of these models will form the basis for the development of new thermal conductivity models for composites with multiple fillers for fuel cell bipolar plate applications. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007     

Effect of orientation and content of carbon based fillers on thermal conductivity of ethylene‐propylene‐diene/filler composites

In this study, synthetic graphite, carbon fiber, and carbon nanotube were used as thermal conductive fillers and ethylene‐propylene‐diene (EPDM) as matrix. Oriented EPDM/filler composites were prepared with two‐roll mill, and the effects of orientation and content of carbon based fillers on thermal conductivity and tensile strength of the composites were investigated. Parallel thermal conductivity of the oriented composites is significantly higher than normal thermal conductivity of the oriented composites. Especially, at 31.6% graphite content, parallel thermal conductivity of oriented composites is 7.14 W/mK. Very high thermal conductivity was achieved for oriented EPDM/graphite composites. Orientation of the fillers using two‐roll mill significantly improves the thermal conductivity in the orientation direction. For all the EPDM/filler composites, tensile strength of orientation direction is higher than that of normal direction. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 41000.     

Tensile modulus modeling of carbon black/polycarbonate,carbon nanotube/polycarbonate,and exfoliated graphite nanoplatelet/polycarbonate composites

Conductive fillers are often added to thermoplastic polymers to increase the resulting composite's electrical conductivity (EC) which would enable them to be used in electrostatic dissipative and semiconductive applications. The resulting composite also exhibits increased tensile modulus. The filler aspect ratio plays an important role in modeling composite EC, and tensile modulus. It is difficult to measure the filler aspect ratio after the manufacturing process (often extrusion followed by injection molding) in the composite, especially when nanomaterials are used. The EC percolation threshold is a function of the filler aspect ratio; hence, knowledge of this percolation threshold provides a means to extract the filler aspect ratio. In this study, the percolation threshold of the composite was determined from EC measurements and modeling, which in turn was used to determine the filler aspect ratio for tensile modulus modeling. Per the authors' knowledge, this approach has not been previously reported in the open literature. The fillers; carbon black (CB: 2–10 wt %), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNT: 0.5–8 wt %), or exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (GNP: 2–12 wt %); were added to polycarbonate (PC) and the resulting composites were tested for EC and tensile modulus. With the filler aspect ratio determined from EC values for CNT/PC and GNP/PC composites, the three‐dimensional randomly oriented fiber Halpin‐Tsai model accurately estimates the tensile modulus for the CNT/PC composites and the Nielsen model predicts the tensile modulus well for the CB/PC and GNP/PC composites. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

In‐plane thermal conductivity modeling of carbon‐filled liquid crystal polymer–based resins

Adding conductive carbon fillers to insulating thermoplastic resins increases composite electrical and thermal conductivity. In this study, varying amounts of three different carbons (carbon black, synthetic graphite particles, and carbon fiber) were added to Vectra A950RX liquid crystal polymer. The in‐plane thermal conductivity of the resulting single filler composites was tested. The results showed that adding synthetic graphite particles caused the largest increase in the in‐plane thermal conductivity of the composite. The composites were modeled using ellipsoidal inclusion problems to predict the effective in‐plane thermal conductivities at varying volume fractions with only physical property data of the constituents. The synthetic graphite and carbon black were modeled using the average field approximation with ellipsoidal inclusions and the model showed good agreement with the experimental data. The carbon fiber polymer composite was modeled using an assemblage of coated ellipsoids and the model showed good agreement with the experimental data. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Nielsen thermal conductivity model for single filler carbon/polypropylene composites

In this study, three different carbon fillers (Thermocarb TC‐300 synthetic graphite, Ketjenblack EC‐600 JD carbon black, and Hyperion Catalysis International's FIBRIL? carbon nanotubes) were added to a polypropylene matrix to produce single filler composites with filler concentrations of up to 80 wt % synthetic graphite (61.6 vol %), 15 wt % carbon black (8.1 vol %), and 15 wt % carbon nanotubes (7.4 vol %). The through‐plane thermal conductivity for each formulation was measured. For the synthetic graphite, carbon black, and carbon nanotubes composites, the Nielsen model was applied to the experimental through‐plane thermal conductivity data. The Nielsen Model presented in this work showed very good agreement with experimental data. The model parameters were similar to those used in the literature for these fillers in other polymers. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Effects of carbon fillers on the thermal conductivity of highly filled liquid‐crystal polymer based resins

The thermal conductivity of insulating polymers can be increased by the addition of conductive fillers. One potential market for these thermally conductive resins is for fuel cell bipolar plates. In this study, various amounts of three different carbon fillers (carbon black, synthetic graphite particles, and carbon fiber) were added to Vectra A950RX liquid crystal polymer. Because the resulting composites were anisotropic, they were tested for both through‐plane and in‐plane thermal conductivities. The effects of single fillers and combinations of the different fillers were studied via a factorial design. Each single filler caused a statistically significant increase in composite through‐plane and in‐plane thermal conductivities at the 95% confidence level, with synthetic graphite causing the largest increase. All of the composites containing combinations of the different fillers caused statistically significant increases in the composite through‐plane and in‐plane thermal conductivities. It is possible that thermally conductive pathways were formed that linked these carbon fillers, which resulted in increased composite thermal conductivity. Composites containing 70, 75, and 80 wt % synthetic graphite and the composite containing all three fillers (2.5 wt % carbon black, 65 wt % synthetic graphite, and 5 wt % carbon fiber) had in‐plane thermal conductivities of 20 W m^?1 K^?1 or higher, which is desirable for bipolar plates. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Thermal and electrical conductivity of carbon–filled liquid crystal polymer composites

The thermal and electrical conductivity of resins can be increased by adding conductive carbon fillers. One emerging market for thermally and electrically conductive resins is for bipolar plates for use in fuel cells. In this study, varying amounts of five different types of carbon, one carbon black, two synthetic graphites, one natural flake graphite, and one calcined needle coke, were added to Vectra A950RX Liquid Crystal Polymer. The resulting composites containing only one type of filler were then tested for thermal and electrical conductivity. The objective of this work was to determine which carbon filler produced a composite with the highest thermal and electrical conductivity. The results showed that composites containing Thermocarb TC‐300 synthetic graphite particles had the highest thermal and electrical conductivity. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99; 1552–1558, 2006     

Synergistic effects of carbon fillers on tensile and impact properties in nylon 6,6 and polycarbonate based resins

Electrically and thermally conductive resins can be produced by adding conductive fillers to insulating polymers. Mechanical properties such as tensile modulus, ultimate tensile strength, strain at ultimate tensile strength, and notched Izod impact strength are also important and cannot be ignored. This research focused on performing compounding runs followed by injection molding and tensile and impact property testing of carbon filled nylon 6,6 and polycarbonate based resins. The three carbon fillers investigated included an electrically conductive carbon black, synthetic graphite particles, and a milled pitch based carbon fiber. For each polymer, resins were produced and tested that contained varying amounts of these single carbon fillers. In addition, combinations of fillers were investigated by conducting a full 2³ factorial design and a complete replicate in each polymer. The objective of this paper was to determine the effects and interactions of each filler on the tensile and impact properties. The results showed that, in many cases, combining two and three different fillers caused a statistically significant effect at the 95% confidence level. Polym. Compos. 25:172–185, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Electrical conductivity and rheology of carbon‐filled liquid crystal polymer composites

One emerging market for electrically conductive resins is for bipolar plates for use in fuel cells. Adding carbon fillers to thermoplastic resins increases composite electrical conductivity and viscosity. Current technology often adds as much of a single type of carbon filler as possible to achieve the desired conductivity, while still allowing the carbon‐filled thermoplastic matrix material to be extruded and molded into a bipolar plate. In this study, varying amounts of two different types of carbon, one carbon black and one synthetic graphite, were added to Vectra A950RX liquid crystal polymer. The resulting single filler composites were then tested for electrical conductivity and rheological properties. The electrical conductivity followed that typically seen in polymer composites with a percolation threshold at 4 vol % for carbon black and at 15 vol % for synthetic graphite. Over the range of shear rates studied, the viscosity followed a shear‐thinning power law model with power‐law exponent (n ? 1) = ?0.5 for neat Vectra A950RX and (n ? 1) = ?0.7 for highly filled composite materials. Viscosity increased with increasing filler volume fraction for all shear rates. The viscosity–enhancement effect was more rapid for the composites containing carbon black when compared with those containing synthetic graphite. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 2680–2688, 2006     

Improvement in physical and electrical properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel conductive polymer composites

With an aim to develop anti‐electrostatic discharge materials based on biodegradable polymers, poly(vinyl alcohol) films composited with two different conductive fillers (carbon black and aluminium) at various fillers contents (20?60%wt), were manufactured using solvent‐casting technique. The mechanical properties of such the films were investigated through tensile stress‐strain tests. Wettability and morphology of the composite films were performed by water contact angle measurement and SEM, respectively. Young's modulus of the composite films can be increased with the addition of conductive fillers. The surface of the composite films showed non‐homogeneous appearance, in which the phase boundary within the composites was clearly observed and the conductive fillers formed aggregation structure at high filler concentration. In addition, the composite films exhibited better hydrophobicity when higher conductive filler content was added. TGA results suggested that both carbon black and aluminum have proven their efficiency to enhance thermal stability of poly(vinyl alcohol). Investigation of cross‐cut adhesion performance of the prepared composite films revealed that carbon black‐filled composites exhibited excellent adhesion strength. The effect of conductive filler content on surface resistivity of the composite films was also examined. The experimental results confirmed that both the fillers used in this study can improve the electrical conductivity of poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel. The surface resistivity of the composite films was reduced by several orders of magnitude when the filler of its critical concentration was applied. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42234.     

Characterization of melt‐compounded and masterbatch‐diluted polypropylene composites filled with several fillers

The effect of various fillers on the mechanical, barrier, and flammability properties of polypropylene (PP) was studied. PP was filled with 4 wt% of nano‐sized calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, organoclay, and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT). For comparison, micron‐sized calcium carbonate was also studied. Two‐step masterbatch dilution approach of the composites suggested no or only minor improvements in Young's modulus and tensile yield strength, whereas their ductility decreased compared to coupling agent‐modified PP matrix. The water vapor transmission results of filled films showed increased permeability compared to their coupling agent‐modified counterpart. Oxygen permeability, however, decreased for the composites. The MWCNT‐filled matrix showed the highest barrier and fire performance, attributed mainly to its higher filler volume content, but also other reasons such as the effect of filler dispersion, composite's thermal stability, and polymer crystallinity were discussed.POLYM. COMPOS., 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

The effect of filler concentration on the electrical,thermal, and mechanical properties of carbon particle and carbon fiber‐reinforced poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) composites

Composite materials of poly (styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (luran) matrix with carbon fibers (CF)/carbon particles (CP) were prepared and their properties were evaluated. The mechanical and thermal properties of these composites were studied by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Although, by increasing the filler concentration no significant difference was found in melting and crystallization temperatures of the luran. The storage and tensile modulus of the composites increased linearly with filler concentration up to 40 wt % that was approximately three times higher than that of the virgin luran. There is a shift in glass transition temperature of the composite with increasing the filler concentration and the damping peak became flatter that indicated the effectiveness of the filler–matrix interaction. The volume resistivity and thermal conductivity (TC) of the composites were also measured. At a given carbon filler content the CF–Luran composites have much less volume resistivity as compared to CP–Luran composites. The decreased percolation threshold and volume resistivity in case of CF–Luran composites indicated that conductive paths existed in the composites. The conductive pathways were probably formed through interconnection of the carbon fillers. The volume resistivity was also decreased as a function of temperature. The thermal conductivity was increased linearly as a function of temperature with increasing filler concentration up to 40% of CF and CP. This increase was more profound in case of CF–Luran as compared to CP–Luran composites. This was owing to greater thermal networks of fibers as compared to particles. POLYM. COMPOS., 28:186–197, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers