Evaluation and modelling of electrically conductive polymer nanocomposites with carbon nanotube networks

Superior electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have made them effective filler for multifunctional polymer nanocomposites (PNCs). In particular, electrically conductive PNCs filled with CNTs have been researched extensively. These studies aimed to increase the PNCs' electrical conductivity (σ) and to minimize the percolation thresholds (ϕc). In this work, we have developed an improved model to describe the CNT networks and thereby evaluate the PNCs' ϕc and σ. The new model accounts for the electrical conductance contributed by the continued CNT network across the boundary of adjacent representative volume elements. It more realistically represents the interconnectivity among CNTs and enhances the evaluation of the structure-to-property relationship of PNCs' σ.