Effects of layer‐multiplying process on conducting properties of multilayer composites consisting of alternating layers of carbon black/polypropylene and polyamide 6/polypropylene

Composite materials consisting of alternating layers of carbon black/polypropylene (PPCB) and polypropylene (PP) were fabricated by layer‐multiplying coextrusion. A negative effect of the layer‐multiplying process on the conducting percolation of CB in PPCB layers was revealed by electrical resistivity measurements. When polyamide 6 (PA6) was introduced into pure PP layers, the resistivity was less than that of a system without the nylon phase. Morphological and crystalline examinations demonstrated that with increasing the number of layers, PA6 was elongated along the extrusion direction and adhered to by some CB particles. This was considered to be beneficial for the formation of new conducting pathways that compensated for the negative effect of the layer‐multiplying process on conductivity. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:1471–1476, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers