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Direct‐current conductivity at a cryogenically low temperature for polymer/carbon composites: Applicability of different theoretical models
Author(s) -
Aldalbahi Ali,
Rahaman Mostafizur,
Kumar Chaki Tapan,
Khastgir Dipak
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.43541
Subject(s) - materials science , electrical resistivity and conductivity , composite material , conductivity , copolymer , arrhenius equation , composite number , polymer , acrylonitrile , atmospheric temperature range , direct current , activation energy , thermodynamics , chemistry , physics , organic chemistry , electrical engineering , engineering , power (physics)
In this study, we focused on the behavior of the direct‐current (dc) conductivity/resistivity in a cryogenically low temperature region (10–300 K) for ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, acrylonitrile butadiene copolymer, and their 50/50 blend composites filled with different conductive carbons. The composites were prepared through a melt‐mixing technique. Different behaviors of the dc resistivity/relative resistivity for the composites were observed; these behaviors depended on the nature of the polymers, the filler types, and the filler concentration when plotted with respect to the temperature. The results of dc conductivity were fitted with some existing theoretical models, including Arrhenius, Kivelson, and Mott's variable range hopping, to check their applicability for these composite systems. We observed that none of the models was applicable within the entire range of measurement temperatures but were confined within limited temperature ranges. The reason behind the nonapplicability of the models is discussed with consideration of their drawbacks and limitations. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133 , 43541.