Hybrid flexible conductive nanocomposites based on block copolymers and carbon nanotubes
The advance in the studies of smart materials aroused interest in the development of electroactive polymers (EAP), materials that present a mechanical response as a function of an electrical stimulus. Among the class of EAPs that stand out the most, there are the dielectric elastomers. For actuator devices based on this type of material, the presence of an electrode with good electrical conductivity and excellent flexibility is essential. Flexible electrodes can be made from an elastomeric base and a conductive dispersed phase. Among conductive nanomaterials, carbon nanotubes (CNT) stand out for such an application. They have high conductivity and low percolation threshold, in addition to distinct morphologies, which makes the combined use of different CNTs interesting. Hence, the purpose of this work was the development of hybrid nanocomposites with different CNTs based on a block copolymer gel (SEBS) with the addition of mineral oil (OM) and a hydrocarbon resin (RHC). We studied the effects of concentration of each type of CNT and the addition of RHC on the conductivity of the nanocomposite gels. The mateirals were characterized by microscopy, chemical, rheological and mechanical analysis. The hybrid conducting nanocomposites showed promising results, with a potentially synergistic effect between both types of nanotubes in certain compositions. A good correlation between electrical and rheological percolation was also observed.