Polymer/carbon nanotube electrical properties

Particularly, the mechanical reinforcement of polymer based structural components as well as the possibility to establish electrical conductivity or electrostatic charge dissipation capabilities are in the focus of interest. Nevertheless, successful development of future markets for polymer-carbon nanotube composites depends on an adequate price level of CNTs as well as other factors. To obtain products with tailored properties in a maintained quality, it is necessary to control the morphology along the whole processing chain, starting from the composite preparation up to the finally shaped component. 

In addition to the mechanical properties, carbon nanotube-reinforced polymers have interesting electrical properties, in particular, their electrical conductivity... 

Desbief S, Hetgue N, Douheret O, Surin M, Dubois P, Geerts Y, Lazzaroni R, Lecleie P (2012) Nanerserde investigation of the electrical properties in semiconductor polymer-carbon nanotube hybrid materials. Nanoscale 4 2705... 

Enhancement of thermal and electrical properties of carbon nanotube polymer composites by magnetic field processing. J. Appl. Phys. 94 6034-6039. 

Meincke O, Kaempfer D, Weickmann H, Friedrich C, Vathauer M, Warth H (2004). Mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of carbon-nanotube filled polyamide-6 and its blends with acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene. Polymer 45 739-748. 

Spitalsky, Z., et al., Carbon nanotube-polymer composites Chemistry, processing, mechanical and electrical properties. Progress in Polymer Science, 2010. 35(3) p. 357-401. 

For applications where only mechanical properties are relevant, it is often sufficient to use resins for the filling and we end up with carbon-reinforced polymer structures. Such materials [23] can be soft, like the family of poly-butadiene materials leading to rubber or tires. The transport properties of the carbon fibers lead to some limited improvement of the transport properties of the polymer. If carbon nanotubes with their extensive propensity of percolation are used [24], then a compromise between mechanical reinforcement and improvement of electrical and thermal stability is possible provided one solves the severe challenge of homogeneous mixing of binder and filler phases. For the macroscopic carbon fibers this is less of a problem, in particular when advanced techniques of vacuum infiltration of the fluid resin precursor and suitable chemical functionalization of the carbon fiber are applied. 

The incorporation of carbon nanotubes (CNT)s into polymer matrices has resulted in composites that exhibit increased thermal stability, modulus, strength, electrical and optical properties (33-35). Several investigations have concluded that carbon nanotubes can also act as a nucleating agents for polymer crystallization (36,37). 

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have shown exceptional stiffness, strength and remarkable thermal and electrical properties, which make them ideal candidates for the development of multifunctional material systems [22], Nowadays, CNTs are dispersed within polymer in order to improve their mechanical and electrical properties [23], Therefore, reinforcement of PB films by CNTs might be a strategy for manufacturing mechanically robust ion-... 

Carbon nanotubes represent high potential fillers owing to their remarkably attractive mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. The incorporation of nanotubes in the polymer matrices can thus lead to synergistic enhancements in the composite properties even at very low volume fractions. This chapter provides a brief overview of the properties and synthesis methods of nanotubes for the generation of polymer nanocomposites. 

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