Electrical properties of MWCNT-based composites with size-controllable catalyst supporters

• Various MWCNT-based composites were synthesized with two different polymers.
• We used the four different catalyst-supporter sizes for electrical properties.
• The MWCNTs were obtained from impregnation and spray drying methods.

Impregnation-dependent nanocomposites, consisting of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE), were successfully produced by controlling the catalyst-supporter size during catalyst fabrication. The MWCNTs fabricated by the impregnation method with different dimensionalities such as pore density and size were compared with MWCNTs fabricated by the spray drying technique. After mixing MWCNTs with LDPE using an extruder, the individual composite constituents showed different physical and electrical properties related to dispersion and sheet resistance, depending on catalyst-supporter dimensionality. For more detailed dispersion control of the extruded composite, scanning and transmission electron microscopy and sheet-resistance measurement were performed. Furthermore, the electrical properties of MWCNT composites with poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) instead of LDPE were investigated for comparison. The fabrication of MWCNT composites using the impregnation technique with size-controllable catalyst supporters is regarded as a good synthetic method for realizing optimal MWCNT-based electronic devices.

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