Cellulose acetate/carbon nanotube composites by melt mixing

Abstract

Cellulose acetate (CA) is produced from a natural polymer and presents excellent properties, finding applications in a variety of areas. Unlike cellulose, CA is melt processable and may be molded into parts and formed into fibers or films. In this context, the production of conductive CA composites that may be processable and integrated into parts to provide specific functionalities is an area of increasing interest. The present work aims to prepare electrically conductive composites based on CA and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by melt mixing. The nanocomposites were produced with pure and pyrrolidine-functionalized nanotubes, using a batch mixer and a twin-screw extruder. The morphology of carbon nanotube dispersion, the rheological behavior and the electrical conductivity of the final composites were evaluated. Rheological percolation was achieved for the composites with 0.5 wt% of CNT—both pure and functionalized—produced by extrusion; while electrical percolation was observed only for the composites with pure CNT.