Conductive Plastics from Al Platelets in a PBT-PET Polyester Blend Having Co-Continuous Morphology

Conductive plastics are made by placing conductive fillers in polymer matrices. It is known that a conductive filler in a binary polymer blend with a co-continuous morphology is more effective than in a single polymer, because it aids the formation of a 'segregated conductive network'. We embedded a relatively low-cost conductive filler, aluminium nano platelets, in a 60/40 PBT/PET polymer blend. While 25 vol.% of the Al nanoplatelets when placed in a single polymer (PET) gave a material with the resistivity of an insulator (10(14) omega cm), the same Al nano platelets in the 60/40 PBT/PET blend reduced the resistivity to 7.2 x 10(7) omega cm, which is in the category of an electrostatic charge dissipation material. While PET tends to give amorphous articles, the 60/40 PBT/PET blends crystallised in the time scale of the injection moulding and hence the conductive articles had dimensional stability above the T-g of PET.

Automated summary

Conductive plastics, created by adding conductive fillers to polymer matrices, are more effective when used in binary polymer blends with a co-continuous morphology. Embedding aluminium nano platelets, a relatively low-cost conductive filler, in a 60/40 PBT/PET polymer blend resulted in a reduction of resistivity to the level of an electrostatic charge dissipation material. The dimensional stability of the conductive articles remained above the T-g of PET due to the crystallization of the 60/40 PBT/PET blend during injection molding.