Quantified non-destructive dispersion assessment via macrodispersion and AC/DC ratio analyses for hybrid polycarbonate/graphite nanoplatelet/carbon nanotube composites

New quantitative image analysis methods are presented for non-destructive characterization of nanocomposite macrodispersion. The first method employs spherical contact distribution functions allowing macrodispersion analysis for micrographs with thick sections or films previously requiring modification for analysis. Additionally, a promising quantitative approach utilizing the AC/DC conductivity ratio was demonstrated for the study of dispersion within hybrid polycarbonate/carbon nanotube/graphite nanoplatelet nanocomposites. For the first time, a mechanism for the correlation between the AC/DC ratio and nanofiller dispersion level is theorized. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the AC/DC ratio method has the potential to be used with metrics for quality assurance and performance assessment of nanocomposites.