Conductive mechanism of antistatic poly(ethylene terephthalate)/ZnOw composites

Abstract

Abstract Antistatic composites of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and tetrapod‐shaped ZnO whisker (ZnOw), the surface of which was treated with a coupling agent, were prepared by melt‐mixing using a twin screw extruder. The structure and morphology of the blends were examined by FTIR and SEM. Antistatic performance and the effect of ZnOw loading levels were investigated. The conductive mechanism of PET/ZnOw composites is presented, which can be classified into tunnel effect, discharging effect at the pinpoint and conductive network. The simple formula of critical volume fraction ( v c ) for ZnOw forming conductive network is proposed, based on the actual processing conduction. Comparison of the theory value to the experimental data showed a close agreement. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers