Interface localization of carbon nanotubes in blends of two copolymers

Double percolation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes in polystyrene/polylactic acid blends

“…In equilibrium conditions, the localization of the filler will be driven by the minimization of the energy. To predict the final position of the particles, a wettability coefficient can be calculated, defined as [37]:…”

Shape-Dependent Localization of Carbon Nanotubes and Carbon Black in an Immiscible Polymer Blend during Melt Mixing

“…3,4 In contrast, blends with selectively CNT filled phases can already today be prepared by melt mixing, 5À14 thus enabling the manufacturing of double percolated structures. 6À8,10À14 The term double percolation describes the percolation of a selectively filled blend phase in combination with a percolated network of fillers within this phase that enables the formation of conductive pathways through the whole sample.…”

Studies on the selective localization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride) and polycaprolactone

“…Preferential localization of conductive filler in one of the phases is commonly explained by the differences in interfacial energies of the filler and the corresponding polymer, which originates from the different polarities and surface energies. Some of the authors compared the predication of the wetting coefficient or equivalent equations that described the localization of fillers in blends to their experimental observations [22][23][24]. However, it was very difficult to get the interfacial tensions of polymer melt at the processing temperature.…”

“…However, it was very difficult to get the interfacial tensions of polymer melt at the processing temperature. The interfacial tensions of polymer at room temperature were used to predict the wetting coefficient [22,23,25], but sometimes results deviating from actual situation might be obtained. There are a few reports about CNT/PVDF composites prepared by double percolation concept [23,26].…”