Enhanced thermal conductivity and isotropy of polymer composites by fabricating 3D network structure from carbon-based materials

Graphene-based composite is promising as thermal interface material (TIM) due to its outstanding thermal properties. However, there are some bottlenecks to excellent performance, such as agglomeration of particles and undesirable voids between nanoplatelets. In this work, a composite with three-dimensional (3D) thermally conductive network has been assembled, which combines three kinds of nanofillers varying geometric dimensions. Thermal conductivity (TC) of composite with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and carbon-nanotubes (CNTs) at a weight ratio of 3:1 is around 9% higher than that of GNP-based composite. By the introduction of carbon spheres (CSs), the TC is further increased by 28%. The enhanced thermal property further demonstrated by FLIR infrared camera is attributed to the formation of 3D heat conduction paths by GNPs, CNTs, and CSs, where the GNPs play the role of thermally conductive backbones. The other two components are introduced to attenuate the aggregation and strong thermal anisotropy. Moreover, the TC is confirmed nearly isotropic, which is different from most graphene-based TIMs because of the in-plane alignment. Our results indicate that the apparent synergy endows this 3D nanofiller great potential for heat dissipation applications requiring heat removal in two directions.     

Thermal conductivity and dielectric properties of polypropylene‐based hybrid compounds containing multiwalled carbon nanotubes

In this article, we explore the possibility to develop composites with improved thermal conductivity and electrically insulating properties. The strategy adopted is to combine a thermal and electrical conductive filler (multiwalled carbon nanotubes) with secondary dielectric (but thermally conductive) fillers. To this end, particles with different compositions, sizes, and shape were used as secondary fillers and the composites, prepared by melt compounding, are characterized in terms of thermal and dielectric properties. Results show that, in ternary formulations, an increase of thermal conductivity is always verified for all kind of secondary particles. Analogously, increments in electrical conductivity are observed for ternary compounds containing larger size secondary fillers, while a significant reduction is achieved with the addition of smaller ones. This behavior is explained in terms of mutual distribution of the fillers and is consistent with direct (scanning electron microscopy) and indirect (rheological) observations. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46470.     

Thermal and electrical conductivity of melt mixed polycarbonate hybrid composites co‐filled with multi‐walled carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplatelets

In this work, we present thermoplastic nanocomposites of polycarbonate (PC) matrix with hybrid nanofillers system formed by a melt‐mixing approach. Various concentrations of multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and graphene nanoplatelets (GnP) were mixed in to PC and the melt was homogenized. The nanocomposites were compression molded and characterized by different techniques. Torque dependence on the nanofiller composition increased with the presence of carbon nanotubes. The synergy of carbon nanotubes and GnP showed exponential increase of thermal conductivity, which was compared to logarithmic increase for nanocomposite with no MWCNT. Decrease of Shore A hardness at elevated loads present for all investigated nanocomposites was correlated with the expected low homogeneity caused by a low shear during melt‐mixing. Mathematical model was used to calculate elastic modulus from Shore A tests results. Vicat softening temperature (VST) showed opposite pattern for hybrid nanocomposites and for PC‐MWCNT increasing in the latter case. Electrical conductivity boost was explained by the collective effect of high nanofiller loads and synergy of MWCNT and GnP. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42536.     

A new method to estimate thermal conductivity of polymer composite using characteristics of fillers

In this work, a new method to estimate the thermal conductivity of polymer composite was suggested. For this purpose, polymer composites composed of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) and boron nitride (BN) were prepared by twin‐screw extruder melt‐mixing, followed by compression molding technique, and their microstructure was investigated by material simulation. Consequently, the C_f parameter of Agari and Uno equation, which represents an ease in forming conductive chains, was quantified by “Structure factor (related with conductive pathway)” and “Interfacial factors (related with thermal resistance)”, ultimately helping us evaluate the thermal conductivity of arbitrary composite system. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Graphene-based polymer composites with ultra-high in-plane thermal conductivity: A comparison study between optothermal Raman spectroscopy and laser flash method

We developed a simple solution mixing and molding process for the incorporation of graphene nano-flakes (GNFs) in polymer films. Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) and poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic acid) (PEMAA) were used for preparation of the samples. The orientation and stacking of GNFs were confirmed using a scanning electron microscope. The thermal conductivity values for these composites were obtained using (1) laser flash method (commercially available) and (2) an optothermal Raman (OTR) technique (homemade device). The former measures the thermal diffusivity (α) and one needs to measure the density (ρ) and the heat capacity (C_p) of the composites in order to measure the in-plane thermal conductivity (κ = α.ρ.C_p), while the latter measures the in-plane thermal conductivity directly from the relation between the excitation power and the position of the Raman resonance. The data obtained from Raman spectroscopy were analyzed, assuming heat propagation in three and two dimensions. The Raman results obtained based on the two-dimensional model were very close to the results obtained using the laser flash method with less than 10% difference. The OTRspectroscopy was found to be a promising technique for measuring the in-plane thermal conductivity of carbon-based polymer composites. PVDF-HFP and PEMAA composite films with very high in-plane thermal conductivity (25 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹) were obtained through the incorporation of GNFs (20 wt % concentration). Considering a very low thermal conductivity of these polymers (<0.2 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹), this corresponds to a large enhancement of roughly 12 400%. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48927.     

Polysulfone‐based composite membranes with functionalized carbon nanotubes show controlled porosity and enhanced electrical conductivity

Composite membranes of functionalized (–COOH, –CONH₂, –N₃) carbon nanotubes/polysulfone (CNT/PS) synthesized by the phase‐inversion method show unique properties with respect to surface characteristics and the selective separation of metal ions from aqueous solution. Apart from the reduction in the pore size depending on the type of functionalities on the nanotubes, the pure water permeation could reach up to as high as ～600 L m^?2 h^?1 (LMH) at reduced pressures and could be due to the functionalized tips of the nanotubes on the membrane surface resulting from the phase inversion process used for the membrane fabrication. The membranes were characterized by small angle neutron scattering (SANS) to confirm the uniform distribution of the nanopores and the surface morphology of the membranes. Results show that rejection of Cu(II) was better than Pb(II) depending on the surface functionality. Interestingly, these membranes also showed enhanced conductivities in the range of 1.0 × 10^?2 S cm^?1, the conductivity depending on the type of functionality on the nanotubes, thus confirming the presence of functionalized nanotubes tips on the membrane surface. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43778.     

Magnetically aligning multilayer graphene to enhance thermal conductivity of silicone rubber composites

The increasing demand for packaging materials calls for new technologies to achieve excellent thermal conductivity of polymer composites with low content of thermal conductive filler. This article prepared a kind of magnetically functionalized multilayer graphene (Fe₃O₄@MG) via electrostatic interactions, which efficiently enhanced the thermal conductivity of silicone rubber (SR) composites by the alignment of Fe₃O₄@MG in an external magnetic field. The morphology and structure of the Fe₃O₄@MG together with the thermal conductivity of corresponding Fe₃O₄@MG/SR composites were systematically investigated by SEM, TEM, XRD, elemental mapping, and thermal conductivity tester. The obtained results showed that Fe₃O₄@MG was induced to form chain-like bundles in silicone rubber matrix under the applied magnetic field, which enhanced the MG–MG interaction, and formed effective thermal pathways in the alignment direction. Furthermore, as coating mass ratio of Fe₃O₄@MG increased, the thermal conductivity of randomly oriented Fe₃O₄@MG/silicone rubber composites (R-Fe₃O₄@MG/SR) decreased gradually, whereas the through-plane thermal conductivity of vertically aligned Fe₃O₄@MG/silicone rubber composites (V-Fe₃O₄@MG/SR) increased even filled with same contents of thermal conductive filler. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47951.     

Effect of crosslink density on thermal conductivity of epoxy/carbon nanotube nanocomposites

The effect of the polymeric crosslink density on the thermal conductivity of an epoxy nanocomposite was investigated by adding two different diamine‐functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (diamine‐MWNTs) to the epoxy resin as co‐curing agents and conducting fillers. Tetramethylenediamine (TMDA)‐MWNTs resulted in an epoxy nanocomposite with a higher crosslink density than octamethylenediamine (OMDA)‐MWNTs. Interestingly, epoxy/TMDA‐MWNT nanocomposites under 1.5 wt % nanotube concentration, showed a higher thermal conductivity than an epoxy/OMDA‐MWNT nanocomposite with the same concentration of nanotubes. In contrast, for higher diamine‐MWNT concentrations (over 2.0 wt %), the thermal conductivity of the epoxy/OMDA‐MWNT nanocomposite was higher than that with TMDA‐MWNTs. We observed that for low MWNT concentrations, where a percolating network was not formed, a high crosslink density enhanced the thermal conductivity via phonon transport. However, for high MWNT concentrations, a high crosslink density hinders the formation of a percolating network and lowers the thermal conductivity. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44253.     

Improving thermal conductivity and shear strength of carbon nanotubes/epoxy composites via thiol‐ene click reaction

This study investigates the effect of the thiol‐ene click reaction on thermal conductivity and shear strength of the epoxy composites reinforced by various silane‐functionalized hybrids of sulfhydryl‐grafted multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (SH‐MWCNTs) and vinyl‐grafted MWCNTs (CC‐MWCNTs). The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) show that the sulfhydryl groups and vinyl groups are successfully grafted onto the surface of MWCNTs, after treatment of MWCNT with triethoxyvinylsilane and 3‐mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), HotDisk thermal constant analyzer (HotDisk), optical microscope, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) are used to characterize the resultant composites. It is demonstrated that the hybrid of 75 wt % SH‐MWCNTs and 25 wt % CC‐MWCNTs has better dispersion and stability in epoxy matrix, and shows a stronger synergistic effect in improving the thermal conductivity of epoxy composite via the thiol‐ene click reaction with 2,2′‐azobis(2‐methylpropionitrile) as thermal initiator. Furthermore, the tensile shear strength results of MWCNT/epoxy composites and the optical microscopy photographs of shear failure section indicate that the composite with the hybrid MWCNTs has higher shear strength than that with raw MWCNTs. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44579.     

Electrical conductivity and EMI shielding effectiveness of polyurethane foam–conductive filler composites

The morphological, electrical, and thermal properties of polyurethane foam (PUF)/single conductive filler composites and PUF/hybrid conductive filler composites were investigated. For the PUF/single conductive filler composites, the PUF/nickel‐coated carbon fiber (NCCF) composite showed higher electrical conductivity and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) than did the PUF/multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and PUF/graphite composites; therefore, NCCF is the most effective filler among those tested in this study. For the PUF/hybrid conductive fillers PUF/NCCF (3.0 php)/MWCNT (3.0 php) composites, the values of electrical conductivity and EMI SE were determined to be 0.171 S/cm and 24.7 dB (decibel), respectively, which were the highest among the fillers investigated in this study. NCCF and MWCNT were the most effective primary and secondary fillers, and they had a synergistic effect on the electrical conductivity and EMI SE of the PUF/NCCF/MWCNT composites. From the results of thermal conductivity and cell size of the PUF/conductive filler composites, it is suggested that a reduction in cell size lowers the thermal conductivity of the PUF/conductive filler composites. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44373.     

The thermal properties of a carbon nanotube‐enriched epoxy: Thermal conductivity,curing, and degradation kinetics

Multiwalled carbon nanotube‐enriched epoxy polymers were prepared by solvent evaporation based on a commercially available epoxy system and functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (COOH–MWCNTs). Three weight ratio configurations (0.05, 0.5, and 1.0 wt %) of COOH–MWCNTs were considered and compared with neat epoxy and ethanol‐treated epoxy to investigate the effects of nano enrichment and processing. Here, the thermal properties of the epoxy polymers, including curing kinetics, thermal conductivity, and degradation kinetics were studied. Introducing the MWCNTs increased the curing activation energy as revealed by differential scanning calorimetry. The final thermal conductivity of the 0.5 and 1.0 wt % MWCNT‐enriched epoxy samples measured by laser flash technique increased by up to 15% compared with the neat material. The activation energy of the degradation process, investigated by thermogravimetric analysis, was found to increase with increasing CNT content, suggesting that the addition of MWCNTs improved the thermal stability of the epoxy polymers. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 2722–2733, 2013     

Modeling electrical conductivity of polymer nanocomposites with aggregated filler

A mean-field model is developed for the electrical conductivity of microcomposites and nanocomposites with polymer matrices. The model accounts for aggregation of filler into clusters (involving both conducting and nonconducting particles) and rearrangement of these clusters with the growth of volume fraction of filler (which leads to a reduction in tunneling resistivity and an increase in the number of bridging contacts between conducting particles). The governing equations involve five material constants with transparent physical meaning: the depolarization factor of clusters, volume fraction of polymer in clusters of filler, effective conductivity of an individual filler particle, and two coefficients characterizing an increase in the effective electrical conductivity of filler driven by the growth of bridging contacts between neighboring particles in clusters. Good agreement is demonstrated between results of simulation and experimental data on the electrical conductivity of epoxy resin reinforced with carbon black and graphite particles, poly(vinyl chloride) reinforced with copper and nickel particles, polypropylene loaded with spherical and spheroidal tin particles, poly(butylene terephthalate) reinforced with graphene nanosheets, and polypropylene loaded with multiwalled carbon nanotubes.     

Electrical conductivity and transparency of polymer hybrid nanocomposites based on poly(trimethylene terephthalate) containing single walled carbon nanotubes and expanded graphite

Single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT)/expanded graphite (EG)/poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) hybrid nanocomposites were prepared via in situ polymerization. Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to determine both, purity and morphology of the nanofillers and the dispersion of nanotubes and nanosheets. The electrical and optical properties of thin polymer films based on both “single” nanocomposites and hybrid nanocomposites were studied. For PTT/SWCNT nanocomposites, results confirmed that films optical transmittance decreases as the concentration of SWCNT increases, attaining almost no optical transmittance for 0.3 wt % of nanofiller. Conversely, the electrical conductivity of nanocomposites was found to increase by increasing the nanofiller amount and the σ_dc values indicate that percolation occurs at a very low SWCNT content (around 0.05 wt %). In the case of PTT/SWCNT + EG nanocomposites, when the content of SWCNT is 0.05%, the hybrid system presents lower conductivity than that corresponding to the “single” nanocomposite. The incorporation of additional EG to the PTT/SWCNT nanocomposite has a small effect on the electrical conductivity but inhibits the transparency of the system. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44370.     

Noncovalent functionalization of carbon nanotube using poly(vinylcarbazole)‐based compatibilizer for reinforcement and conductivity improvement in epoxy composite

A new compatibilizer [P(GMA‐co‐VCz) copolymer] containing carbazole moiety and reactive epoxide group, which can functionalize multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for making superior epoxy composites, was prepared by a simple one‐pot free radical polymerization. The designed compatibilizer could noncovalently functionalize multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNTs) via π‐π interaction as evidenced from fluorescence, Raman, and FTIR spectra analysis, and efficiently disperse MWCNTs in organic solvents. TEM images suggest a good wrapping of P(GMA‐co‐VCz) on MWCNTs surface. P(GMA‐co‐VCz) functionalized MWCNTs were more homogeneously dispersed in epoxy matrix than the case without compatibilizer, indicating that the compatibilizer improves the compatibility between MWCNTs and epoxy resin. In addition, the presence of epoxide groups in compatibilizer could generate covalent bonds with the epoxy matrix and improve the interface interaction between MWCNTs and epoxy matrix. As a result, mechanical and electrical properties of the epoxy composites with compatibilizer were largely improved as compared with those of composites without compatibilizer. The addition of as little as 0.15 wt % of MWCNTs to epoxy matrix affords a great increase of 40% in storage modulus and 52.5% in elongation at break. Furthermore, a sharp decrease of almost 9 orders of magnitude in volume resistivity of epoxy composite is observed. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45022.     

Thermal,electrical, and mechanical properties of polyethylene–graphene nanocomposites obtained by in situ polymerization

In this study, we investigated the thermal, dynamic mechanical, mechanical, and electrical properties of polyethylene (PE)–graphene nanosheet (GNS) nanocomposites, with GNS amounts from 0 to 20 wt %, prepared by in situ polymerization. The thermal stability was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and showed that the addition of GNSs to the polyolefin matrix increased the onset degradation temperature by 30°C. The electrical conductivity, measured by the impedance technique, presented a critical percolation threshold of 3.8 vol % (8.4 wt %) of GNS. A slight decrease in the tensile strength was found. On the other hand, dynamic mechanical analysis showed an increase in the storage modulus of the nanocomposites compared with that of neat PE. The glass‐transition temperature value increased from ?111°C (neat PE) to ?106°C (PE/6.6 wt % GNS). All of these results show that PE became stiffer and thermally more stable and could be transformed from an insulator to a semiconductor material in the presence of GNSs. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Improving through-thickness conductivity of carbon fiber reinforced polymer using carbon nanotube/polyethylenimine at the interlaminar region

The through-thickness conductivity of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite was increased by incorporating multiwalled carbon nanotubes in the interlaminar region. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were dispersed in a polyethylenimine (PEI) binder, which was then coated onto the carbon fiber fabric. Standard vacuum-assisted resin infusion process was applied to fabricate the composite laminates. This modification technique aims to enhance the electrical conductivity in through-thickness direction for the purpose of nondestructive testing, damage detection, and electromagnetic interference shielding. CNT concentrations ranging from 0 to 0.75 wt% were used and compared to pristine CFRP samples (reference). The through-thickness conductivity of the CFRP exhibited an improvement of up to 781% by adopting this technique. However, the dispersion of CNT in PEI led to a viscosity increase and poor wetting properties which resulted in the formation of voids/defects, poor adhesion (as shown in scanning electron micrographs) and the deterioration of the mechanical properties as manifested by interlaminar shear strength and dynamic mechanical analysis measurements.     

Preparation of high‐k composites with low dielectric loss based on the double‐layer coaxial structure of inorganic/polymer

This study presents a novel and simple modification of cladding multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) using organic polymer and inorganic nanoparticles to synthesize a product, which has a double‐cladding coaxial structure and can be applied as filler in the dielectric field. The first layer of MWCNTs was coated with polyaniline (PANI) through the oxidation–reduction reaction mechanism using Ce(NH₄)₂(NO₃)₆ as oxidizing agent and metal precursor of cerium oxide. Cerium ions on the second cladding layer of MWCNTs were directly deposited from the solution to the surface of the PANI layer forming the double‐cladding hybrid (CeO₂/PANI@MWCNTs). The external inorganic layer provides an insulating shell, which can prevent the contact between the conductive particles and hinder the migration of electrons between the MWCNTs. The intermediate layer of PANI provides the bonding between CeO₂ and the conductive core of MWCNTs, which also shows lower conductivity than carbon nanotubes. The CeO₂/PANI@MWCNTs were compounded with epoxy (EP) resin and formed a dielectric material with the advantage of reducing dielectric loss while ensuring high dielectric constant. The dielectric constant of the coated MWCNTs/EP composites was 194.90 at 10³ Hz with the content of fillers reaching 30 wt %, which is 28 times that of the pure EP. Accordingly, the dielectric loss of 30 wt % coated MWCNTs/EP composites was only 0.09 at 10³ Hz, which is only 2.25 times that of the pure EP. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46299.     

Effects of electrophoretic deposition process parameters on the mechanical properties of graphene carboxyl-grafted carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite

Carbon fiber (CF) modification by grafting of various graphene-based nanofillers (GBN) by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique was proven to be a successful technique to enhance the out-of-plane performance of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites. Graphene carboxyl (G-COOH) grafting on carbon fiber by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) is a promising technique to improve the mechanical properties of CFRP composites. To our knowledge, there is a dearth of literature available on the effect of EPD process parameters on the mechanical behavior of modified CFRP composites. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of nanofiller concentration in the suspension, applied current, and the time of deposition during EPD on the mechanical behavior of nanophase CFRP composites, thus making it a novel work. With increasing concentration, interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) improved consistently and has shown a maximum enhancement of 24.7% than that of neat CFRP composite at 1.5 g/L nanofiller concentration, whereas flexural strength remained almost unaffected with varying concentration. On the contrary, variation of deposition current has affected the flexural strength but not ILSS. The maximum flexural strength was obtained at a deposition current of 5.0A with an improvement of 16.3% in comparison with neat CFRP samples. However, both flexural strength and ILSS of hybrid CFRP composites have shown improvement with increasing deposition time. At 60 min of deposition, ILSS and flexural strength have shown maximum improvements of 35.0 and 26.6%, respectively, when compared to control specimen. After evaluating the effect of process parameters future scope of the work involves the optimization of parameters for EPD of G-COOH. Fractographic analysis of the fractured samples was performed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) to apprehend prominent failure mechanisms. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48925.     

Graphene nanoplatelets composite membranes for thermal comfort enhancement in performance textiles

The advent of 2D nanostructured materials as advanced fillers for polymer matrix composites has opened the doors to a plethora of new industrial applications requiring both electric and thermal management. Unique properties, in fact, can arise from accurate selection and processing of 2D fillers and their matrix. Here, we report an innovative family of nanocomposite membranes based on polyurethane (PU) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), designed to improve thermal comfort in functional textiles. GNP particles were thoroughly characterized (through Raman, atomic force microscopy, high-resolution TEM, scanning electron microscope), and showed high crystallinity (I_D/I_G = 0.127), low thickness (D50 < 6–8 layers), and high lateral dimensions (D50 ≈ 3 μm). When GNPs were loaded (up to 10% wt/wt) into the PU matrix, their homogeneous dispersion resulted in an increase of the in-plane thermal conductivity of composite membranes up to 471%. The thermal dissipation of membranes, alone or coupled with cotton fabric, was further evaluated by means of an ad hoc system designed to simulate a human forearm. The results obtained provide a new strategy for the preparation of membranes suitable for technical textiles, with improved thermal comfort.     

Preparation and characterization of extruded nanocomposite based on polycarbonate/butadiene‐acrylonitrile‐styrene blend filled with multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Nanocomposites of polycarbonate/acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (PC/ABS) with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) prepared by masterbatch dilution are investigated in this work. Melt compounding with twin screw extruder is followed by complete characterization of morphology, rheological‐, mechanical‐, and thermal‐properties of the nanocomposites. Light‐transmission‐ and scanning electron microscopy shows the preferential location of MWCNT in the PC. Nevertheless, relatively good dispersion in the whole matrix is achieved, what is corroborated with the specific mechanical energy. The study of viscoelastic properties of PC/ABS‐MWCNT shows the fluid–solid transition below 0.5 wt % MWCNT. Beyond this point the continuous nanofiller network is formed in the matrix promoting the reinforcement. Addition of 0.5 wt % MWCNT reduces ductility of PC/ABS and enhances Young's modulus by about 30% and yield stress by about 20%. Moreover, theoretical values of stiffness calculated within this work agree with the experimental data. Electrical conductivity, showing percolation at 2.0 wt % MWCNT, are influenced by processing temperature. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40271.