Impedance characteristics and electrical modelling of multi-walled carbon nanotube/silicone rubber composites

Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-filled silicone rubber (SR) composites were prepared by solvent evaporation method, with different MWCNT concentrations from 0.5 wt% to 6.5 wt%. Alternating current (AC) electrical properties of samples with interdigital electrodes were measured in the frequency range from 20 Hz to 1 MHz. Impedance spectroscopy analysis reveals a frequency-independent percolation transition between 2.0 wt% and 2.9 wt%. Samples above the percolation threshold exhibit more regular variations: the magnitude of impedance decreases gradually with frequency in the low-frequency range, and then decreases as a power law beyond a critical frequency, with the exponent in a limited range indicating the AC universality of disordered solids; the plots of real and imaginary parts of impedance fit semicircles well in the complex plane, implying semiconductive behaviours. Over the concentration range tested, a multi-stage circuit model consisting of resistor–capacitor (RC) networks is proposed to simulate the electrical responses of samples. The validity of the modelling approach is verified by comparing simulation results to experimental results, and is further supported by the analysis of the characteristic frequency. The use of equivalent circuits in modelling provides a further insight into the conducting network inside nanocomposites and more valuable guidance for the design of correlative devices.

► Multi-walled carbon nanotube-filled silicone rubber composites are prepared.
► Impedance characteristics of composite samples are investigated from 20 Hz to 1 MHz.
► A frequency-independent percolation transition lies between 2.0 wt% and 2.9 wt%.
► A multi-stage equivalent circuit model consisting of RC networks is proposed.
► The modelling approach is verified by experimental results and theoretical analysis.