Conductive Copper-PMMA Nanocomposites: Microstructure, Electrical Behavior, and Percolation Threshold as a Function of Metal Filler Concentration

The copper-PMMA conductive composites were manufactured using different copper concentrations dispersed into the polymeric matrix by hot compression molding in inert atmosphere. The PMMA matrix was analyzed using dilute solution viscosimetry analysis and it did not evidence degradation in its molecular weight. The microstructure was examined by means of SEM and the electric conductivity was measured as a function of the concentration of copper particles in the polymer matrix. The 10 vol% copper composite presented conductivity between 11 and 13 orders of magnitude higher than that of pure PMMA. The experimental results are in agreement with the theoretical model considering the percolation path theory for a segregated structure. POLYM. COMPOS., 30:328-333, 2009. (C) 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers