A MICROSCOPIC INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCTING FILLED POLYMERS

The electrical conductivity of polymer resins containing gold and silv er particulate fillers has been investigated as a function of the part icle content. At the same time, an apparatus constructed in-house has permitted measurement of the conductance between two isolated filler p articles in the presence of an epoxy or polyester resin undergoing cur e in situ. Numerical simulations of the conductivity of composites for filler volume fractions beyond the percolation threshold have shown t hese microscopic measurements to be consistent with the observed condu ctivities of the macroscopic samples. (C) 1998 Chapman & Hall.