ELECTRICAL BEHAVIOR OF CARBON BLACK-FILLED POLYMER COMPOSITES - EFFECT OF INTERACTION BETWEEN FILLER AND MATRIX

The effect of interaction between carbon black and polymer on electrical behavior was studied using the ESR method. The polymer matrices used were HDPE, LDPE, and ethylene/vinyl acetate (EVA). Two kinds of carbon blacks (CB), high structure CSF-III and low structure FEF, were used as a conductive filler. Compared to that of the HDPE/FEF compound, the positive temperature coefficient (PTC) intensity is lower and electrical reproducibility is worse for the HDPE/CSF-III compound; however, it can be improved significantly by radiation cross-linking. On the other hand, the cross-linking has no practical effect on the PTC intensity of the LDPE/CSF-III compound while it can be achieved by mixing the compound for a longer time. The great PTC intensity was obtained in the HDPE/EVA/CSF-III compound, and it is greater than that of HDPE/CSF-III or EVA/CSF-III. We explain these results using the concept of interaction between the filler and matrix. The absorption of the polymer on the carbon black surface may be physical or chemical; the latter is caused by the free-radical reaction between the polymer and carbon black, and it can occur during the radiation or preparation process of the compound. These ''bound polymers'' are essentially important for materials to have a great PTC intensity and good reproducibility. (C) 1994 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.