Abstract
Carbon black (CB)-filled polypropylene (PP) with surface resistivity between 106 and 109 Ω sq−1 is the ideal antistatic plastic material in the electronics and electric industry. However, a large amount of CB may have an adverse effect on the mechanical properties and processing performance of the material, thus an improved ternary system is developed. Blends of CB-filled PP and polyamide 6 (PA6) have been prepared by melt blending in order to obtain electrically conductive polymer composites with a low electrical percolation threshold based on the concept of double percolation. The morphological developments of these composites were studied by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that CB particles were selectively dispersed in PA6 phases due to the good interaction and interfacial adhesion between CB and PA6. At the same CB loadings, the surface resistivity of PP/PA6/CB composite was smaller than that of PP/CB composite system, which indicated the better conductivity in the former composite. The increasing amount of PA6 in the composites changed the morphology from a typical sea–island morphology to a co-continuous morphology. What is more, with 8 wt% of CB and PP/PA6 phase ratio of 70/30 in which the PP and PA6 phases formed a co-continuous structure, the electrical conductivity of the composite peaked at 2.01 × 105 Ω sq−1.
Highlights
Conductive polymer composites (CPCs) are important in technological applications and a topic of tremendous commercial interest
The results showed that Carbon black (CB) particles were selectively dispersed in polyamide 6 (PA6) phases due to the good interaction and interfacial adhesion between CB and PA6
If ωa is higher than 1, the CB particles will be located in PA6; if it is between −1 and 1, the CB particles will be preferentially distributed at the interface between the two polymers; if ωa is lower than −1, the CB particles will prefer to distribute in PP
Summary
Conductive polymer composites (CPCs) are important in technological applications and a topic of tremendous commercial interest. The CPCs are typically a polymeric matrix with conductive fillers. Employed in various commercial applications due to their advantages, such as good electrical 2 conductivity, corrosion resistance, light weight and enhanced mechanical properties. CPCs can be used in electromagnetic interference shielding [1], electrostatic dissipation [2], heat dissipation films [3], chemical sensors [4], actuators [5] and photovoltaic devices [6]
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