Electrical Conductivity and Major Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Carbon Nanotube-Filled Polyurethane Foams

The carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/rigid polyurethane (PU) foam composites with a low percolation threshold of similar to 1.2 wt % were prepared by constructing effective conductive paths with homogeneous dispersion of the CNTs in both the cell walls and struts of the PU foam. The conductive foam presented excellent electrical stability under various temperature fields, highlighting the potential applications for a long-term use over a wide temperature range from 20 to 180 degrees C. Compression measurements and dynamical mechanical analysis indicated 31% improvement in compression properties and 50% increase in storage modulus at room temperature in the presence of CNTs (2.0 wt %). Additionally, the incorporation of only 0.5 wt % CNTs induced remarkable thermal stabilization of the matrix, with the degradation temperature increasing from 450 to 499 degrees C at the 50% weight loss. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 120: 3014-3019, 2011