Carbon nanotube-filled polycarbonate composites produced by melt mixing and their use in blends with polyethylene

Abstract

This paper presents composites of polycarbonate (PC) having different amounts of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT). The composites were prepared by diluting a masterbatch of PC with 15 wt% MWNT using melt mixing in a DACA-Micro Compounder. Electrical resistivity measurements indicated percolation of MWNT between 1 and 1.5 wt%. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed excellent dispersion of the MWNT and indicated no preferred orientation of MWNT in extrusion direction. In addition, a conductive PC-2 wt% MWNT composite was melt mixed with polyethylene in order to get co-continuous blends exhibiting double percolation. Significant reduction in electrical resistivity of the blends could be achieved in compositions down to 30 vol% filled PC in which the total MWNT content was only 0.41 vol%. These blends exhibited co-continuous structures.