Abstract
Previously, we reported that amorphous poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) filled with irregular nodular aluminium (Al) particles gave simultaneous increases in tensile modulus, tensile strength, and impact resistance, which is unusual for materials. Here, we investigated the effect of the particle shape and size by using nano-platelet Al. The Al nano-platelets had a thickness higher than graphenes and clays, but lower than mica and talc, and due to their large widths, they had high aspect ratios. Due to the ductility of Al, the platelets maintained the high aspect ratio and did not snap during injection moulding. In addition to avoiding the usual drop in tensile strength and impact, the composites with nano Al platelets gave an unusually high flexural modulus (8 GPa), which was almost double that attained practically with talc, mica, and graphene. This was because of the high tendency of the Al nano platelets to become oriented during moulding. The Al–PET composite would be a more cost-and-performance effective combination for making conductive composites. The Al is a cheaper material than graphene, surface treatment for adhesion (to PET) is unnecessary, and dispersion issues, such as exfoliation and de-aggregation, are not a problem.
Highlights
Conductive plastics combine a degree of electrical and thermal conductivity, with the easy formability of polymers
Bishay et al [24] studied Al–poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and found that the tensile strength values decreased and the elongation-to-break decreased with increasing aluminium content
We look at Al particles with a defined shape and size, and show that the simultaneous increase in modulus, strength, and impact resistance is repeated as with the nodular Al, and is a property of the Al–poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) pair, and further, that the Al nano platelets used here lead to additional effects not observed with the nodular Al powder
Summary
Conductive plastics combine a degree of electrical and thermal conductivity, with the easy formability of polymers. Carbon black and graphite were the earliest fillers for conductive plastics and are still the commercially dominant ones They have lower electrical and thermal conductivity than metals, but they have low density and price [1,2,3]. In the last 30 years, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) [10,11,12,13,14,15] and nano platelet graphene [16,17] have been investigated as fillers in polymers, as their intrinsic thermal and electrical conductivities and mechanical properties are even higher than those of metals.
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