Abstract
Composite specimens possessing polyhedral segregated network microstructures require a very small amount of nanosize filler, <1 vol %, to reach percolation because percolation occurs by accumulation of the fillers along the edges of the deformed polymer matrix particles. In this paper, electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) and conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) were used to confirm the location of the nanosize fillers and the corresponding percolating paths in polymethyl methacrylate/carbon black composites. The EFM and C-AFM images revealed that the polyhedral polymer particles were coated with filler, primarily on the edges as predicted by the geometric models provided.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 233122 |
Journal | Applied Physics Letters |
Volume | 95 |
Issue number | 23 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2009 |
Funding
Research funding from the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. DMR-0076153 and DMR-0604211 is gratefully acknowledged. A portion of this research, conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Center for Nanophase Material Sciences, was sponsored by the Scientific User Facilities Division, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy.