Development of Electrically Conductive Polymers
Conducting composites based on graphite, carbon black and polypropylene have been prepared and the effect of composition on the flexural modulus and electrical conductivity has been studied. The conductivity of polymers containing only one kind of filler did not increase significantly, their modulus of elasticity was the highest for graphite filling, and the lowest for nanotube filling. The conductivity of dual filler hybrids increased significantly due to the synergetic interaction between the two fillers. At lower graphite contents, because of the better dispersion of graphite, the material became more flexible, but at higher carbon black contents the stiffness increased significantly. In the case of triple filler hybrids, if keeping the graphite content at a certain level and varying only the carbon black/nanotube ratio, the conductivity and the flexural modulus varied according to exponential and linear rules respectively.