Conductive Plastics from Al Platelets in a PBT-PET Polyester Blend Having Co-Continuous Morphology.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Conductive plastics utilize conductive fillers within polymer matrices.
• Binary polymer blends with co-continuous morphology enhance filler effectiveness by forming segregated conductive networks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effectiveness of aluminum nanoplatelets as conductive fillers in a 60/40 PBT/PET polymer blend.
• To evaluate the electrical resistivity and dimensional stability of the resulting conductive plastic material.

Main Methods:

• Embedding aluminum (Al) nanoplatelets into a 60/40 polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)/polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymer blend.
• Comparing the electrical resistivity of the blend with Al nanoplatelets to that of Al nanoplatelets in a single polymer (PET).
• Assessing the dimensional stability of the conductive articles above the glass transition temperature (T_g) of PET.

Main Results:

• A 60/40 PBT/PET blend with 25 vol.% Al nanoplatelets achieved a resistivity of 7.2 × 10⁷ Ωcm, classifying it as an electrostatic charge dissipation material.
• In contrast, 25 vol.% Al nanoplatelets in a single PET polymer resulted in insulating material with a resistivity of 10¹⁴ Ωcm.
• The PBT/PET blend exhibited crystallization during injection molding, providing dimensional stability above PET's T_g.

Conclusions:

• Binary polymer blends, like 60/40 PBT/PET, significantly enhance the conductivity of embedded fillers compared to single polymers.
• Aluminum nanoplatelets in PBT/PET blends are effective for creating electrostatic charge dissipation materials with improved properties.
• The developed conductive plastic articles possess both reduced resistivity and enhanced dimensional stability for practical applications.