Conductive nanocomposites based on polystyrene microspheres and silver nanowires by latex blending

Metallic nanowires with excellent electrical conductivity and high aspect ratio are critical in the preparation of conductive polymer nanocomposites. In this work, highly conductive polystyrene/silver nanowire (PS/AgNW) nanocomposites were prepared by latex blending, and their electrical and rheological properties were investigated. A high yield of long and thin AgNWs was synthesized with the polyol method. AgNWs were incorporated with highly monodisperse PS microspheres to produce polymer nanocomposites with a nanowire network structure providing electrical pathways. An electrically conductive network of AgNWs was obtained at an electrical percolation threshold of 0.49 vol % AgNW, and an electrical conductivity of 10(2) S/m was obtained at 1 vol %. The dynamic rheological properties evaluated at 1 vol % also confirmed that the AgNWs were physically connected to one another at this concentration.