Effect of nanofiller morphology on the electrical conductivity of polymer nanocomposites

Conductive polymers and nanocomposites have attracted great attention in industry and academia for their tremendous potential applications. Most of the research was focused on the type and amount of nano-additives used and fewer on their morphology which is critical in forming the conductive network. In this paper, a detailed investigation of the effect nanomaterial’s morphology was carried out to study their electrical conductivity properties. Silver nanowire (AgNW) nanocomposite and silver nanoparticle (AgNP) nanocomposite were fabricated. The morphology, crystallinity, and orientation of various silver nanofillers were characterized. AgNW based nanocomposites have shown a lower percolation threshold. A conductive unit based model was established to explain the evolution of the conductive network and aggregation. The aggregation geometry of nanofiller appeared as a dominant factor in altering the percolation behavior.