A review on electrically conductive polypropylene and polyethylene

Conductive plastics are new generation functional materials with potential application in electronics, space and aviation industries. Polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) being most common, widely available and cheapest thermoplastic, if made conductive, can be revolutionary in the field of engineering thermoplastics. The article deals with the fabrication of electrically conductive PP and PE for electromagnetic interference/radio frequency (EMI/RF) shielding applications and protection against electrostatic discharge (ESD). It reviews different fillers used by researchers to fabricate conductive PP and PE, several factors that affect the electrical conductivity of thermoplastic composites and various processing methods that can be adopted to prepare such composites. It exhaustively covers the preparation of such conductive composites, the processing methods involved therein, and the electrical properties of the end material. Emphasis has been given to comprehend the percolation threshold and means to reduce the latter in order to achieve high electrical conductivity in PP- and PE-based composites at relatively low filler loading. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:900-914, 2014. (c) 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers