Robert Moučka

Effect of surfactants and manufacturing methods on the electrical and thermal conductivity of carbon nanotube/silicone composites.

The effect of ionic surfactants and manufacturing methods on the separation and distribution of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in a silicone matrix are investigated. The CNTs are dispersed in an aqueous solution of the anionic surfactant dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA), the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and in a DBSA/CTAB surfactant mixture. Four types of CNT-based composites of various concentrations from 0 to 6 vol.% are prepared by simple mechanical mixing and sonication. The morphology, electrical and thermal conductivity of the CNT-based composites are analyzed. The incorporation of both neat and modified CNTs leads to an increase in electrical and thermal conductivity. The dependence of DC conductivity versus CNT concentration shows percolation behaviour with a percolation threshold of about 2 vol.% in composites with neat CNT. The modification of CNTs by DBSA increases the percolation threshold to 4 vol.% due to the isolation/separation of individual CNTs. This, in turn, results in a significant decrease in the complex permittivity of CNT–DBSA-based composites. In contrast to the percolation behaviour of DC conductivity, the concentration dependence of thermal conductivity exhibits a linear dependence, the thermal conductivity of composites with modified CNTs being lower than that of composites with neat CNTs. All these results provide evidence that the modification of CNTs by DBSA followed by sonication allows one to produce composites with high homogeneity.

The influence of interfaces on the dielectric properties of MnZn-based hybrid polymer composites

In the present paper we report on the specific features of the dielectric properties of a MnZn ferrite/Al based composite. Previously, it has been shown that high-frequency magnetic losses in such hybrid composites (HCs) can be enhanced due to the formation of a core-shell-like structure of a composite, in which ferrite particles are immersed into a conducting medium formed by a continuous network of conducting particles that spans throughout the polymer matrix. Simultaneously, one can vary the dielectric properties of HCs by changing the type and the concentration of conducting particles. Dielectric constant and ac conductivity measurements of MnZn-based composites have been made over the frequency range of 10 Hz–100 kHz in temperature interval from −30 to 100 °C and at ambient temperature up to 3 GHz. The results obtained show that addition of aluminum into the MnZn ferrite/polyurethane composite leads to a decrease in the dc conductivity due to the insulating barrier of Al–Al2O3. On the other hand, ac ...

Electrical transport properties of poly(aniline-co-p-phenylenediamine) and its composites with incorporated silver particles

Statistical copolymers of aniline and p-phenylenediamine, poly(aniline-co-p-phenylenediamine)s, were synthesised by oxidative polymerisation using various oxidants, ammonium peroxydisulphate or silver nitrate. Depending on the choice of oxidant, copolymers or composites with silver particles were obtained. Different molar concentrations of p-phenylenediamine in the reaction mixture provided materials of different conductivities. The influence of both the copolymer composition and the presence of discrete silver particles on the electric and dielectric properties of the system was studied. The results showed a decrease in the conductivity of copolymers and their composites with the silver content compared with the content of standard polyaniline salt. The reduction in conductivity was described in terms of the decreased density of hopping centres due to defects in the copolymer structure. The dielectric relaxations observed were described in terms of their activation energies and were linked to the corresponding conduction mechanism.

A Highly Flexible Supercapacitor Based on MnO2/RGO Nanosheets and Bacterial Cellulose-Filled Gel Electrolyte

The flexible supercapacitors (SCs) of the conventional sandwich-type structure have poor flexibility due to the large thickness of the final entire device. Herein, we have fabricated a highly flexible asymmetric SC using manganese dioxide (MnO2) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheet-piled hydrogel films and a novel bacterial cellulose (BC)-filled polyacrylic acid sodium salt-Na2SO4 (BC/PAAS-Na2SO4) neutral gel electrolyte. Apart from being environmentally friendly, this BC/PAAS-Na2SO4 gel electrolyte has high viscosity and a sticky property, which enables it to combine two electrodes together. Meanwhile, the intertangling of the filled BC in the gel electrolyte hinders the decrease of the viscosity with temperature, and forms a separator to prevent the two electrodes from short-circuiting. Using these materials, the total thickness of the fabricated device does not exceed 120 μm. This SC device demonstrates high flexibility, where bending and even rolling have no obvious effect on the electrochemical performance. In addition, owing to the asymmetric configuration, the cell voltage of this flexible SC has been extended to 1.8 V, and the energy density can reach up to 11.7 Wh kg−1 at the power density of 441 W kg−1. This SC also exhibits a good cycling stability, with a capacitance retention of 85.5% over 5000 cycles.

Multicomponent Magnetic Particles With Controllable Electromagnetic Properties

In this paper, we focus on preparation and investigation of magnetic and dielectric properties of multicomponent particles with core-shell structure comprising of low-anisotropy MnZn ferrite (core) and polyaniline containing nanoparticles of noble metals (shell). The main advantage of such hybrid magnetic materials is that their electromagnetic properties can be effectively controlled by synthesis conditions. Developed materials can find their potential application as magnetic fillers in the preparation of electromagnetic wave absorbers, where high permeability, high magnetic loss, and optimum ratio between the permeability and permittivity are of high importance.