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

Influence of matrix crystallinity on electrical percolation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes in polypropylene

Pötschke Petra (1)*, Gültner Marén (1), Häußler Liane (1)

(1) Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. - Saxony - Germany

In polymer composites containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) the influence the matrix crystallinity on electrical percolation and conductivity is under intensive and controversy discussion. Whereas some authors describe the formation of crystalline layers around the nanotubes, which hinders electrical percolation, others report lower percolation threshold in partially crystalline polymers due to the effect of selective localization of fillers inside the amorphous phase. This study aims to contribute to this discussion by using three different polypropylenes (PPs) having different crystallinities. Whereas the industrial PP (HP500N) showed a crystallinity of 49%, two products from ALDRICH named as “amorphous” (PPa) and “isotactic” PP (PPi) had crystallinities of 17% and 52%, respectively. The ALDRICH PPs had comparable molecular weights of 14,000 and 12,000 g/mol and similar melt viscosities at the processing temperature of 180°C, whereas HP500N shows much higher molecular weight and melt viscosity. Multiwalled CNTs Baytubes C70P (1-5 wt%) were added by melt mixing performed using a DSM Xplore 15 ccm microcompounder and plates were compression molded. Dispersion as assessed by light microscopy was the best for HP500N and similar for both ALDRICH types. Despite similar melt viscosities of PPa and PPi, the electrical percolation was significantly lower in case of PPi (1 wt%) than for PPa (2 wt%) and HP500N (2 wt%). This indicates that a selective localization of CNTs in either the amorphous or the crystalline PP phase can be assumed. The electrical volume resistivity of PPa at 3 wt% loading is about 10E3 Ohm-cm which equals to 1.7 wt% CNT addition in PPi. Using the measured crystallinities, calculations on local CNT contents in the different phases support the assumption of selective localization within the amorphous PP phase.