Electrical and thermal conductivity of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) - Conducting Carbon Black (CCB) composites: Validation of various theoretical models

Different composition dependent PVDF/CCB composites were prepared by solution mixing followed by casting technique. The morphology, crystallinity, electrical and thermal conductivity, sound velocity and storage modulus vary with composition. The effect of frequency, temperature and composition on electrical conductivity were investigated and electrical conductivity of these composites strongly depends on percolation threshold. The variation of thermal conductivity and storage modulus against temperature and concentration has also been investigated. The surface morphology has been viewed through Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Atomic Force Spectroscopy (AFM). The particle agglomerate structure of CCB was checked byHigh Resonance Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM). Applicability of different theoretical models to predict electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity were also tested for these composites. To predict composition dependent thermal conductivity theoretical models like Series, Parallel, Geometrical mean, Maxwell, Nielsen Lewis, Hamilton-Crosser, and the Agari model have been used to check their validity for the present system.