High‐Conductivity Polymer Nanocomposites Obtained by Tailoring the Characteristics of Carbon Nanotube Fillers |
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| Authors: | Nadia Grossiord Joachim Loos Lucas van Laake Maryse Maugey Cécile Zakri Cor E. Koning A. John Hart |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Dutch Polymer Institute P.O. Box 902, 5600 AX Eindhoven (The Netherlands);2. Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry, Technical University of Eindhoven P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven (The Netherlands);3. Present address: University of Warwick, Department of Chemistry, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.;4. Laboratories of Polymer Technology and Materials and Interface Chemistry Technical University of Eindhoven P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven (The Netherlands);5. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Eindhoven P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven (The Netherlands);6. Present address: Océ Technologies BV, PO Box 101, 5900 MA Venlo, The Netherlands.;7. Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal–CNRS Avenue A. Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac (France);8. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2278 GG Brown 2350 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109‐2125 (USA) |
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| Abstract: | We present a detailed study of the influence of carbon nanotube (CNT) characteristics on the electrical conductivity of polystyrene nanocomposites produced using a latex‐based approach. We processed both industrially‐produced multi‐wall CNT (MWCNT) powders and MWCNTs from vertically‐aligned films made in‐house, and demonstrate that while the raw CNTs are individualized and dispersed comparably within the polymer matrix, the electrical conductivity of the final nanocomposites differs significantly due to the intrinsic characteristics of the CNTs. Owing to their longer length after dispersion, the percolation threshold observed using MWCNTs from vertically‐aligned films is five times lower than the value for industrially‐produced MWCNT powders. Further, owing to the high structural quality of the CNTs from vertically‐aligned films, the resulting composite films exhibit electrical conductivity of 103 S m?1 at 2 wt% CNTs. On the contrary, composites made using the industrially‐produced CNTs exhibit conductivity of only tens of S m?1. To our knowledge, the measured electrical conductivity for CNT/PS composites using CNTs from vertically‐aligned films is by far the highest value yet reported for CNT/PS nanocomposites at this loading. |
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| Keywords: | carbon nanotubes electrical conductivity nanocomposite materials percolation polymers |
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