Electrical conductivity of synergistically hybridized nanocomposites based on graphite nanoplatelets and carbon nanotubes.

In this investigation, a recent model for assessing the electrical conductivity of nanocomposites comprising a single type of conductive nanofiller was expanded to cases with mixtures of nanofillers. The extended model considers electron tunneling as the effective mechanism for insulator-conductor transition. The model was validated with relevant experimental data based on a mono-nanofiller. Using the extended model, the effective electrical conductivity of a nanocomposite comprising both graphite nanoplatelets and carbon nanotubes was investigated. It was observed that the hybridized nanocomposites filled with a mixture of these conductive nanofillers attain, synergistically, enhanced electrical conductivities at lower volume fractions. The lower filler contents assist in preserving the intrinsic properties of the host polymer in support of several applications. It was also observed that the relative aspect ratios of the conductive fillers play significant roles on the electrical conductivity of the hybrid nanocomposite. Simulations revealed that, generally, the addition of minimal amounts of a higher aspect ratio auxiliary phase to a lower aspect ratio main phase enhances the electrical conductivity of the composite by orders of magnitude.