Microphase separation assisted reduction in the percolation threshold of MWCNT/block polymer composites.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 36648757.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1039/d2sm01277d.
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Abstract
Block copolymers continue to attract a great deal of interest since they allow the formation of microphase-separated domains, useful for nanopatterning/templating. Herein, we present the drastic effect of microphase separation of a diblock copolymer on the electrical properties of polymer nanocomposites. Microphase-separated poly(styrene-<i>b</i>-2-ethylhexyl acrylate) (P(St-<i>b</i>-EHA)) block copolymers having different block lengths were synthesized and utilized as templates for multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The percolation threshold of the films decreased from 0.46 to 0.19 vol% with decreasing styrene phase fraction. More importantly, we observed a non-linear and unique reduction in percolation threshold with transforming the phase into lamellar structures.