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Electric Transport Properties and Percolation in Carbon Nanotubes / PMMA Composites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2011

Jean-Michel Benoit
Affiliation:
Institut des Materiaux Jean Rouxel, Nantes University, 2 rue de la Houssiniere, BP 32229, Nantes, France
Benoit Corraze
Affiliation:
Institut des Materiaux Jean Rouxel, Nantes University, 2 rue de la Houssiniere, BP 32229, Nantes, France
Serge Lefrant
Affiliation:
Institut des Materiaux Jean Rouxel, Nantes University, 2 rue de la Houssiniere, BP 32229, Nantes, France
Patrick Bernier
Affiliation:
GDPC, Montpellier University, BP 26, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France
Olivier Chauvet
Affiliation:
Institut des Materiaux Jean Rouxel, Nantes University, 2 rue de la Houssiniere, BP 32229, Nantes, France
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Abstract

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) possess remarkable physical properties. However, because of their size, they are difficult to handle. Making composites with them gives an alternative way to handle these objects and to make use of their properties at a macroscopic scale. Here, we present a comparative study of the transport properties of PMMA / nanotubes composite films with both SWNTs and MWNTs. At room temperature, the conductivity of the composites follows a pure percolation behavior when increasing the nanotube content. The universal scaling law for random site percolation with a very low percolation threshold (0.3 weight %) is obeyed over two orders of magnitude in CNT content. At low temperature, SWNTs and MWNTs based composites behave differently. While MWNTs composites still obey the percolation law, deviations are observed for SWNTs. The transport properties are discussed in terms of tube-tube contact and charging energy of the tubes.

Type
Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2002

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