Abstract

The effect of surfactant-exfoliated graphene (SEG) on the morphology of SEG-filled polyethylene (PE)/ polypropylene (PP) blends has been investigated by image analysis of transmission electron microscope. The electrical conductivity of SEG-filled PE/PP composites strongly depends on the localization of SEG. From theoretical considerations of a previous paper by one of the authors, it is found that the transfer dynamics as well as the stability of different solid nano-fillers at the blends interface reveals a strong dependence on the nano-filler’s aspect ratio. The appropriate control of processing conditions and the selective localization of SEG in the PE/PP composites are key tools to design conducting polymer composites. When the selective localization of SEG is optimized at the PE/PP blends interface, the electrical conductivity reaches 1.86 × 10^-5 S/m for a low percolation at 1 wt %, in sharp compared to 7 wt % if the localization of SEG has not been optimized.

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