Structural characterization and electrical properties of carbon nanotubes/epoxy polymer composites

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between the electrical and structural characteristics of multiwalled carbon nanotubes dispersed into the polymer matrix of a resin. In a first step, the composites were characterized by small‐angle neutron scattering, which provide information about the bulk dispersion of nanotubes in the matrix and form three‐dimensional networks with a surface fractal behavior. In the second step, a dielectric and electrical study was carried out in the frequency range between 1 Hz and 10 MHz at room temperature. We have found that the electric and dielectric behavior of these composites can be described by Jonscher's universal dielectric response. We show that the critical exponents describing the concentration dependence of the conductivity and the dielectric constant, obtained in the vicinity of the percolation threshold, are in good agreement with the theoretical values. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 44514.