pps proceeding - Abstract Preview
pps proceeding
Symposium: S02 - Nanocomposites and filled Polymers
Poster Presentation
 
 

A Study on the Effects of Aspect Ratio and Bulk Density on the Electrical Properties of Polycarbonate/MWCNT nanocomposite

Cruz Heidy (1), Son Younggon (1)*

(1) Kongju National University - Chungnam - Korea

Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes (CNT), significant research works have been directed to its use as conductive filler to polymer nanocomposites since it exhibits high potential application in several fields such as electrostatic dissipation (ESD), electrostatic painting and electromagnetic interference shielding (EMI-shielding). To date, most experimental results about the electrical properties of polymer-CNT composites have been produced using simple, laboratory-scale process such as compression molding which can lead to results that may not be comparable to more complex, industrial-scale process like injection molding. The main challenge, however, is the poor electrical performance of the polymer nanocomposites produced by injection molding compared to compression molded nanocomposites. In this work, the influence of CNT length to the electrical performance of injection-molded polycarbonate/multiwall CNT composites was studied. Three types of multiwall carbon nanotubes with different lengths were melt-mixed with polycarbonate in a twin screw extruder followed by injection and compression molding. Results show that nanocomposites with higher CNT aspect ratio exhibit better electrical conductivity. Longer nanotubes tend to form a stronger conductive network during secondary agglomeration which can withstand the high shear forces during injection molding.