Study of structural, electrical, and dielectric properties of polystyrene/foliated graphite nanocomposite developed via in situ polymerization

Present article reports the investigations of the electrical and dielectric properties of polystyrene/foliated graphite (PS/FG) nanocomposites. The homogenous embedded structure of FG within the polymer matrix has been confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrical conductivity of the composite was found to exhibit insulator-conductor transition at a very low percolation threshold of FG. A nonlinear to linear transition in the current-voltage characteristics of the composites was observed when the composite undergoes insulator-conductor transition. The frequency dependence of dielectric constant, dissipation factor, and ac conductivity has also been analyzed using percolation theory. D-shore hardness of the nanocomposite was also tested to observe the strength of the composites. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.