title: Controlling electrical percolation in multicomponent carbon nanotube dispersions.
abstract: Carbon nanotube reinforced polymeric composites can have favourable electrical properties, which make them useful for applications such as flat-panel displays and photovoltaic devices. However, using aqueous dispersions to fabricate composites with specific physical properties requires that the processing of the nanotube dispersion be understood and controlled while in the liquid phase. Here, using a combination of experiment and theory, we study the electrical percolation of carbon nanotubes introduced into a polymer matrix, and show that the percolation threshold can be substantially lowered by adding small quantities of a conductive polymer latex. Mixing colloidal particles of different sizes and shapes (in this case, spherical latex particles and rod-like nanotubes) introduces competing length scales that can strongly influence the formation of the system-spanning networks that are needed to produce electrically conductive composites. Interplay between the different species in the dispersions leads to synergetic or antagonistic percolation, depending on the ease of charge transport between the various conductive components.
authors.affiliation: Group Theory of Polymers and Soft Matter, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands. a.kyrylyuk@gmail.com
authors.forename: Andriy V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Kyrylyuk
authors.forename: Marie Claire
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hermant
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schilling
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Klumperman
authors.forename: Cor E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Koning
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van der Schoot
mesh_terms: D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004560:Electricity; D007840:Latex / Q000737:chemistry*; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D007840:Latex; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D011108:Polymers