Electrical Conductivity of Lignocellulose Composites Loaded with Electrodeposited Copper Powders. Part II. Influence of Particle Size on Percolation Threshold

• Published in: International journal of electrochemical science 2012-09, Vol.7 (9), p.8883-8893
• Main Authors: Pavlović, M.M., Ćosović, V., Pavlović, M.G., Bojanić, V., Nikolić, N.D., Aleksic, R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Conducting polymer composites; constant current; electrical conductivity; electrolytic copper powder; lignocellulose; particle size; percolation threshold
• ISSN: 1452-3981; 1452-3981
• DOI: 10.1016/S1452-3981(23)18039-4

This article is concerned with synthesis and characterization of electroconductive composite materials prepared by the compression molding of mixtures of lignocellulose and electrochemically deposited copper powder under different pressures, and investigation of the influence of particle size on conductivity and percolation threshold of obtained composites. Electrodeposited copper powder content was varied from 2.0-29.8 vol%. Analysis of the most significant properties of individual components and prepared composites included structural and morphological analysis and measurements of hardness and electrical conductivity. Hardness of the investigated composites, as expected, increased with the increase of the processing pressure, as well as lowering the particle size compared to previous work. The significant increase of the electrical conductivity can be observed as the copper powder content reaches the percolation threshold. The packaging effect and more pronounced interpartical contact with smaller, highly porous, highly dendritic particles with high values of specific area lead to “movement” of percolation threshold towards lower filler content, which for the particles