A percolation threshold model that effectively characterizes the full concentration range for electrical-conducting polymer composites

The new percolation threshold model introduced in this study is a modification of Clingerman's model, which in turn is a modification of the model originally developed by Mamunya et al. Several of the original constants from Clingerman's and Mamunya's were consolidated, and most importantly, the concentration of the percolation threshold is not a required constant in the model. One extraordinary characteristic of this new model is that it is possible to separate this model into two different equations that separately describe the conducting filler component and the insulating matrix component. In general, this new percolation threshold model introduces five new calculated quantities on the S-shaped curve, including the calculated volume fraction of the percolation threshold. The capability of this new model was evaluated with three of Clingerman's polymer composite percolation threshold data sets involving electrical conductivity measurements. This new model did an excellent job of fitting the data extremely well over the whole concentration range. (c) 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 47184.