Calculation of the Electrical Conductivity of Polymer Nanocomposites Assuming the Interphase Layer Surrounding Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract

The interphase layer surrounding nanoparticles can reflect the tunneling effect as the main mechanism of charge transferring in polymer/carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposites (PCNT). In this paper, the percolation threshold, effective volume fraction of CNT, and the portion of percolated filler after percolation are expressed by interphase and CNT waviness. Moreover, the developed terms are used to suggest the influences of CNT dimensions, interphase thickness, and waviness on the electrical conductivity of PCNT by conventional and developed models. Thin and long CNT, thick interphase, and low waviness obtain a high fraction of percolated CNT. However, the highest level of effective filler fraction is only calculated by the thinnest CNT and the thickest interphase. Furthermore, both models show that the thinnest and the longest CNT as well as the thickest interphase and the least CNT waviness cause the highest conductivity in PCNT, because they positively contribute to the formation and properties of the conductive network.

A highly sensitive biosensor based on methacrylated graphene oxide-grafted polyaniline for ascorbic acid determination

“…Nanocomposites have attracted much attention due to their exceptional properties [17,[24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]. Mechanical performance and electrical conductivity are the main characteristics that are developed with the combination of various materials into a nanocomposite [42][43][44][45][46].…”

Enhancement of Electrical Conductivity of Aluminum-Based Nanocomposite Produced by Spark Plasma Sintering

“…The homogenous CNT dispersion achieved during the ball-milling promoted the formation of an effective network within the Al matrix so that the MWCNTs were strategically located at the surroundings of the Al grains. Such condition was key to promote an efficient carrier electron transport induced by tunneling effect and percolation threshold phenomena [38,39]. In a previous author's work [33], the electrical value measured for Al-based nanocomposite reinforced with 0.5 wt % concentration of MWCNTs was around 26.1 MS/m (45.1% IACS), which is 5% higher than the value of 24.1 MS/m found in samples M1, M2, and M3.…”

“…The homogenous CNT dispersion achieved during the ball-milling promoted the formation of an effective network within the Al matrix so that the MWCNTs were strategically located at the surroundings of the Al grains. Such condition was key to promote an efficient carrier electron transport induced by tunneling effect and percolation threshold phenomena [ 38 , 39 ].…”

Flexible Antennas: A Review

“…Conductive polymers like polyaniline (PANI) [ 25 ], polypyrrole (PPy) [ 26 ], and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) [ 27 ] seem to be promising materials for flexible and wearable antennas. The low conductivity of conductive polymers was improved by adding carbon nanotubes [ 28 ], graphene [ 29 ], and carbon nanoparticles [ 30 ] ( Figure 3 ). Flexible antennas using graphene are promising due to their decent electrical conductivity and excellent mechanical properties.…”