Polybutadienes electrical properties

The mechanical and electrical properties of polyacetylene (PA) were modified by blending it with polybutadiene (PB). Further enhancement of the electrical conductivity of the blends was obtained by stretch elongation of the blends prior to doping. 

When acetylene gas is polymerized in a solid solution of the Shirakawa catalyst and polybutadiene, a heterogenous blend consisting of a amorphous polybutadiene phase and a crystalline polyacetylene phase is formed. (5) The mechanical and electrical properties of this composite are critically dependent on the composition of the blend components and on their relative arrangement. In our initial Blend paper, (5) for example, we showed that the mechanical properties of PA/PB blends are a function of the blend composition, with low polyacetylene compositions ex-... 

Blending of polyacetylene with polybutadiene provides an avenue for property enhancement as well as new approaches to structural studies. As the composition of the polyacetylene component is increased, an interpenetrating network of the polymer in the polybutadiene matrix evolves from a particulate distribution. The mechanical and electrical properties of these blends are very sensitive to the composition and the nature of the microstructure. The microstructure and the resulting electrical properties can be further influenced by stress induced ordering subsequent to doping. This effect is most dramatic for blends of intermediate composition. The properties of the blend both prior and subsequent to stretching are explained in terms of a proposed structural model. Direct evidence for this model has been provided in this paper based upon scanning and transmission electron microscopy. 

Acetylene was polymerized in the presence of polybutadiene rubber and the blends were investigated for their electrical conductivity [Rub-ner et al., 1983 and Sichel and Rubner, 1985]. The electrical properties of these blends were explained in terms of the morphological features [Tripathy and Rubner, 1984]. In these investigations, a conductivity of 10 S/cm was achieved at PACE loadings above 30%. Polymerization... 

The hydrocarbon structure is responsible for the excellent resistance shown by polybutadiene to chemicals and solvents and for the electrical properties that are good over a range of frequencies, temperatures, and humidity, and resistance to high temperature. Refer to Table 3.20 for the compatibility of polybutadiene with selected corrodents. 

Polybutadienes High viscosity, reacted with isocyanates, epoxies, or vinyl monomers, moderate cure shrinkage Excellent electrical properties and low water absorption, lower strength than other materials... 

Reactive flexibilizers such as polysulfldes, urethanes, polybutadienes, and polyesters are copolymerized with epoxies to increase flexibihty, improve adhesion, modify electrical properties, and improve resistance to chemicals. Nonreactive extenders such as thermoplastics, asphaltums, and waxes are used to modify properties and reduce the cost of the compounds. Polyarylene ether sulfone as an extender in epoxy resins increases the fracture toughness fivefold with only a slight drop in Tg. 

The hydroxyl terminated polybutadienes lead to PU with physico-mechanical properties significantly lower than those of PU based on polyether or polyester polyols. The nonpolar polymeric chain and the extraordinary hydrophobicity mean that hydroxy terminated polybutadienes are used for special applications, due to their excellent electrical insulation properties which are equal or superior to epoxies or silicone elastomer systems. The hydrolytic stability of PU elastomers derived from hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene is superior to the majority of other types of PU. Thus, some specific applications of... 

PS is thermoplastic and burns with a sooty flame. PS is brittle and cannot withstand boiling water. It emits a characteristic metallic ring when dropped. Its mechanical properties can be improved dramatically by blending it with polybutadiene. Addition of even small amounts of plasticizer results in unacceptable reduction in softening temperature, which limits the usefulness of the plastic. PS s pure hydrocarbon structure and low water absorption result in excellent thermal and electrical insulation properties which are retained in wet conditions. 

Random-distribution solution SBR vulcanizates are less hysteretic than are comparable vulcanizates of E-SBR. Also, solution polymers contain less nonrubber material. This is because there is absence of emulsifier (e.g., soap) during polymerization. During coagulation of the polymerized emulsion to obtain the rubber, fatty acids are formed. The presence of such fatty acid, in part, reduces the rate of vulcanization with respect to that of solution SBR compounds. The absence of such nonrubber components also reduces the electrical conductivity of S-SBR compounds compared to those of E-SBR. Vulcanizates of solution SBRs, having blocky monomer distributions, have very low brittleness temperatures due to the presence of relatively long polybutadiene chain segments. They have good elastic properties, low water adsorption, low electrical conductivity, and excellent abrasion resistance. 

In advanced approach, the CNT is incorporated to a 50 50 blend of styrene-butadiene rubber and butadiene rubber solution (Das et al. 2008 Mari and Schaller 2009 Yu et al. 2011). The predispersed CNTs in ethanol is formed and after that the CNT-alcohol suspension is mixed with the polybutadiene at elevated temperature. CNTs-fifled polybutadiene nanocomposites prepared by a technique which show meaiungfully improved physical behavior already at very low concentrations of the CNTs (Mari and Schaller 2009). The particular high ratio of the CNTs enabled the formation of a conductive percolating network in the composites at concentrations lower than 2 wt%. By the presence of CNTs, as opposed to the electrical conduction properties, the thermal conductivity of the composites not... 

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