Diagnostics & Control
Research Centre
Smart Materials (Sensors)
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Smart Materials
Conductive Polymer-Composite Sensor for Gas Detection
There has been great interest in the study of conductive polymer composites for various industrial applications. Electrically conductive polymer composites filled with carbon black can exhibit the mechanical behaviour of a polymer and metallic electrical conductivity. Unfortunately, excessive amounts of carbon black can produce brittle films and too little carbon black can result in low conductivity. Composite conductivity can be dramatically improved by fully dispersing the carbon particles in the polymer matrix. We have prepared polymer-carbon composites using ultrasonic mixing and were tested for their effectiveness for organic gas vapour sensing applications.
Figure 1: Resistivity of CB/Carbon Black composite vs. % Carbon Black.
Figure 2: Typical electrical resistance response of CB/PMMA composite to acetone vapour ( 120.6 ppt).
