Author(s):
Costa, P. 
; Silva, J. ; Sencadas, V. ; Simões, Ricardo ; Viana, J.C. ; Lanceros-Méndez, S.
Date: 2013
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/11110/298
Origin: CiencIPCA
Subject(s): properties of thermoplastic elastomer
Description
Composites of styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS)
block copolymer with multiwall carbon nanotubes were processed by solution casting to investigate the influence of filler content, the different ratios of styrene/butadiene in the copolymer and the architecture of the SBS matrix on the
electrical, mechanical and electro-mechanical properties of the composites. It was found that filler content and elastomer
matrix architecture influence the percolation threshold and consequently the overall composite electrical conductivity.
The mechanical properties are mainly affected by the styrene and filler content. Hopping between nearest fillers is proposed
as the main mechanism for the composite conduction. The variation of the electrical resistivity is linear with the deformation. This fact, together with the gauge factor values in the range of 2–18, results in appropriate composites to be used as (large) deformation sensors. This study was funded by FEDER funds
through the ‘Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade—COMPETE’ and by national funds by FCT—Fundac¸a˜o para a Cieˆncia e
a Tecnologia, through project references PTDC/CTM/69316/2006,
PTDC/CTM/73465/2006, PTDC/CTM-NAN/112574/2009, and NANO/NMed-SD/0156/2007. PC, JS and VS also thank FCT for the
SFRH/BD/64267/2009, SFRH/BD/60623/2009 and SFRH/BPD/
63148/2009 Grants, respectively. The authors also thank support from the COST Action MP1003 ‘European Scientific Network for Artificial Muscles’ and the COST action MP0902 ‘Composites of Inorganic Nanotubes and Polymers (COINAPO)’.
