Influence of different carbon-based fillers on electrical and mechanical properties of a PC/ABS blend

The present work examines the influence of different carbon-based fillers on the performance of electrically conductive polymer blend composites. More specifically, we examined and compared the effects of graphene (GR), carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon black (CB) on a PC/ABS matrix by morphological investigation, electrical and physic-mechanical characterization. Electrical analyses showed volume resistivity decreased when the CNTs and CB content were increased, although the use of melt-mixed GR did not really influence this property. For the latter, solution blending was found to be more suitable to obtain better GR dispersion, and it obtained electrical percolation with a graphene content ranging from 0.5% to 1% by weight, depending on the solvent removal method that was applied. There was a gradual improvement in all of the composites' dielectric properties, in terms of loss factor, with temperature and the concentration of the filler. As expected, the use of rigid fillers increased the composite stiffness, which is reflected in a continuous increment in the composites' modulus of elasticity. The improvements in tensile strength and modulus were coupled with a reduction in impact strength, indicating a decrease in polymer toughness and flexibility. TEM micrographs allowed us to confirm previous results from studies on filler dispersion. According to this study and the comparison of the three carbon-based fillers, CNTs are the best filler choice in terms of electrical and mechanical performance.