PROPERTIES OF SbCls-DOPED PPP/PPS COMPOSITES I. ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY STUDY

Abstract

In this set of two papers the electrical and surface mechanical properties for sintered PPP/PPS composites, in a wide range of compositions,are reported. The present paper deals with a conductivity study of these materials. PPP, before and after annealing at 400 °C, was used as a potential conductive component. It is shown that these SbCls-doped sintered composites undergo a discontinuous transition from non-conductor to conductor at 20% PPP. The surface of the sintered materials and the dopant distribution across the thickness were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis respectively. Morphological aspects are discussed in the light of conductivity measurements. In addition, the electrical stability after storage of the composites in air and in dry nitrogen atmosphere is examined. Finally, the influence of the annealing behaviour of the PPP component upon the limiting conductivity level is highlighted.