Charge transport in melt-dispersed carbon nanotubes.
We investigate the effect of interfacial stabilizer on charge transport in polymer-dispersed carbon nanotubes. Despite mechanical contact, samples with dispersant show poor conductivity, which we attribute to a robust interfacial layer between contacted nanotubes. In comparison, results obtained when nanotubes are mechanically mixed into polymer melts without dispersant show much better conductivity. The difference is striking; at comparable loading, neat melt composites have resistivities five orders of magnitude smaller than those containing interfacial stabilizer. Our results highlight a fundamental issue for the engineering of conducting carbon nanotube composites; dispersion stability will typically be achieved at the expense of conductivity.
Hobbie
E K
EK
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA. erik.hobbie@nist.gov
Obrzut
J
J
Kharchenko
S B
SB
Grulke
E A
EA