Single Polymer Composites of Poly(Butylene Terephthalate) Microfibrils Loaded with Carbon Nanotubes Exhibiting Electrical Conductivity and Improved Mechanical Properties

Abstract

Applying the concept of microfibrillar composites, microfibrils of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) loaded with 5 wt% multi-walled carbon nanotubes are prepared by extraction of polypropylene (PP) from drawn PP/PBT blends and shaped into single polymer composites (SPCs). SPCs show superior mechanical performance with up to 300–600% improvement in modulus and tensile strength as compared to neat isotropic PBT. In addition, the microfibrillar SPCs (MF-SPCs), as well as the single microfibrils, have electrical volume conductivity of 8 × 10−3 S cm−1 demonstrating electrical conductive behavior.