Properties of polyphenylene sulfide/multiwalled carbon nanotubes composites: a comparison between compression molding and microinjection molding

Abstract

Abstract This work comparatively studied the electrical, morphological, and thermal properties of polyphenylene sulfide/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (PPS/CNT) composites which were prepared by compression molding (CM) and microinjection molding (μIM), respectively. The subsequent samples were termed as CM composites and microparts, respectively. Results revealed that the electrical conductivity of PPS/CNT microparts was lower than that of CM PPS/CNT composites, which was ascribed to the difference in shearing influence that affected microstructural evolution in resultant moldings. In addition, SEM observations revealed that the distribution of CNTs became better in the PPS/CNT microparts, which was related to the prevailing higher shearing effect in μIM. The tensile strength of PPS/CNT microparts dropped for filler concentrations ≤2 wt% and it started to increase after that reached 10 wt%; in comparison with the PPS/CNT microparts, the tensile strength of CM PPS/CNT samples exhibited an opposite trend when the filler concentration was ≤3 wt%. After that, the tensile strength of CM samples showed a monotonic increase with increasing CNT concentrations. Both the uniform distribution of CNT and increase of crystallinity were crucial to improving the tensile strength of PPS/CNT moldings. This work showed that PPS/CNT moldings with good electrical conductivity and mechanical performance can be molded at relatively high filler concentrations, which is critical for applications in demanding engineering sectors.