Conductivity of carbon black-based polymer composites under creep in the molten state

The mechanical deformation of conductive polymer composites during melt processing affects their final electrical properties considerably. To get an insight in this relationship, simultaneous electrical-rheological measurements can be used to follow the changes in composite phase structure induced by defined deformation. In this work, the evolution of electrical conductivity was investigated during and after shear deformation at constant stress. From the experiments performed it can be concluded, that the flow-induced build-up mechanism leads to the formation of conductive pathways with enhanced stability compared to the structures build-up under quiescent conditions. This finding can be explained by the orientation of particle structures in the shear direction. Therefore, materials with different deformation history but the same electrical conductivity can display markedly different electrical behaviour under deformation.