Effect of silver doped MWCNTs on the electrical properties of conductive MWCNTs/PMMA thin films

The transmittance and electrical properties of conductive multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films were investigated as a function of MWCNT content. The effect of silver doped MWCNTs (Ag-MWCNTs) on the surface resistance of the films was also determined. The surface characteristics of acid-treated MWCNTs were confirmed using FT-Raman. The dispersion and formation of a conductive network of MWCNTs in PMMA were observed by SEM and AFM analyses. The transmittance of the films observed by UV-vis-NIR was decreased from 89% to 64%, and the surface resistance of the films was decreased from 392 M Omega/sq to 293 k Omega/sq while increasing the MWCNT content due to the increase of the electron conductive pathway. The Ag-MWCNTs/PMMA films showed a lower surface resistance about 2-4 times than that of MWCNTs/PMMA films. This was probably due to the synergic effect induced between MWCNTs and Ag. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.