Electrical and rheological percolation in polystyrene/MWCNT nanocomposites

A systematic electrical and rheological characterization of percolation in commercial polydisperse polystyrene (PS) nanocomposites containing multiwall carbon nanombes (MWCNTs) is presented. The MWCNTs confer appreciable electrical conductivities (up to ca. 1 S/m) to these nanocomposites at a concentration of 8 vol %. In addition to enhancing the electrical properties, even at small concentrations (ca. 2 vol %), MWCNTs significantly enhance the rheological properties of PS melts. At concentrations exceeding 2 vol %, a plateau appears in the storage modulus G' at low frequencies, indicating the formation of a percolated MWCNT network that responds elastically over long timescales. Network formation, in turn, implies a diverging complex viscosity vs complex modulus curve. A focus of this study is on the correlation between electrical and theological properties at the onset of percolation. The experimental results indicate that the elastic load transfer and electrical conductivity are far more sensitive to the onset of percolation than the viscous dissipation in the nanocomposite. Sensitivity of the electrical and rheological percolations to two different solvents used in processing the nanocomposites has also been characterized.