Effect of The Dissolution Method With N, N-Dimethylformamide As A Solvent On The Electrical Properties Of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene And Carbon Nanotube Composites

Abstract

Abstract The objective of this study is to create electrically conducting composite polymers using the dissolution method. Composites are made from Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) as the matrix and Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) as the filler. Composites were made using the dissolution method with N, N-Dimethylformamide (DMF). All the components were mixed then dried in a fume hood until they were formed into pellets in a compression molder. Compressed samples were optically and electrically tested. Results show that composites that were only dried in the fume hood have a bubbled structure and reach percolation around 1-5 phr. The bubbles were determined to be coming from water that got into the samples while they were drying in the fume hood. Composites were placed in a furnace at 100°C for 1 hour to take the water out of them. Results showed that furnace dried samples have a smooth surface and are more resistive than the bubbled composites. The bubbled samples were most likely less resistive than samples with a smooth surface because during the bubble formation the CNTs are being pushed closer together causing percolation to happen sooner.