Relationship between microstructure evolution and properties enhancement of carbon nanotubes‐filled polybutylene terephthalate/polypropylene blends induced by thermal annealing

Abstract

Thermal annealing induced microstructure evolution and properties enhancement of polybutylene terephthalate/polypropylene/carbon nanotubes (PBT/PP/CNTs) nanocomposites was methodically investigated. The electrical conductive PBT/PP/CNTs nanocomposites with a low percolation threshold were obtained by simple melt blending due to the selective location of the CNTs in PBT phase and the formation of the double percolation structure. Thermal annealing further remarkably decreased the volume resistivity of the nanocomposites, with the maximum reduction of seven orders of magnitude. Scanning electron microscope observation and rheology tests demonstrated that the relatively large CNTs agglomerates were redistributed to build more homogeneous CNTs networks after annealing. The phase coalescence during annealing promoted the formation of the more perfect co‐continuous structure. These phenomena helped to enhance the electrical conductivity of the nanocomposites. Flexural properties of the nanocomposites were also enhanced after annealing, which might be due to the more effective stress transfer between the polymer and CNTs induced by the reconstructed CNTs networks. The nanocomposites obtained in this study possess excellent electrical and mechanical properties, which can be applied to the fields of sensors, electromagnetic interference shielding, anti‐static materials, and so forth.

Glycerol-treated polypropylene/carbon black nanocomposites: Analysis of electrical, rheological, thermal and mechanical properties

“…Electrically conductive polymer composites have received great attention owing to their promising applications in many fields, [1][2][3] including antistatic materials, 4 electromagnetic interference shielding, 5,6 self-regulated heating materials, 7 and sensors. 8 Binary conductive polymer systems consisting of conducting fillers such as carbon black (CB), 9,10 graphite, 11,12 multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), [13][14][15] and carbon fibers 16,17 in a polymer matrix can create polymer composites that are tough and flexible with appropriate electrical conductivity based on their applications.…”

Structure–Property–Processing Relations of Short‐Chain Branched Poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) with Biobased Comonomers

“…Poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and PBT-based materials are well-established engineering plastics with high durability, heat resistance, mechanical strength, dimensional and hydrolytic resistance, and other advantageous material properties. [1][2][3][4][5] The annual consumption of PBT reached 1.3 million metric tons in 2020, [6] and is expected to show a compound annual growth rate of 3.9-5.6% until 2029. [7] This trend is mainly caused by the increased demands of the electrical and automotive industries in particular for interior and exterior as well as near-the-engine parts of electrical vehicles with extremely high requirements.…”