title: Conductive nanocomposites based on polystyrene microspheres and silver nanowires by latex blending.
abstract: Metallic nanowires with excellent electrical conductivity and high aspect ratio are critical in the preparation of conductive polymer nanocomposites. In this work, highly conductive polystyrene/silver nanowire (PS/AgNW) nanocomposites were prepared by latex blending, and their electrical and rheological properties were investigated. A high yield of long and thin AgNWs was synthesized with the polyol method. AgNWs were incorporated with highly monodisperse PS microspheres to produce polymer nanocomposites with a nanowire network structure providing electrical pathways. An electrically conductive network of AgNWs was obtained at an electrical percolation threshold of 0.49 vol % AgNW, and an electrical conductivity of 10(2) S/m was obtained at 1 vol %. The dynamic rheological properties evaluated at 1 vol % also confirmed that the AgNWs were physically connected to one another at this concentration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and ‡Department of Polymer Engineering, The University of Suwon , Hwaseong, Gyeonggi 445-743, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Manthiriyappan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sureshkumar
authors.forename: Hyo Yeol
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Na
authors.forename: Kyung Hyun
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Seong Jae
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: electrical conductivity; latex blending; nanocomposites; polystyrene; rheological properties; silver nanowires