High Electric Conductive PMMA Composites without Impact Value Decay by Dispersion of Copper Powder

Abstract

Copper powder dispersed poly-methyl methacrylic acid (acrylic resin, PMMA) composites (PMMA-Cu) were prepared by the solution cast method. The Cu addition at the critical volume fraction (15.0±1.0 vol%Cu) drastically enhanced the electric conductivity from the insulator (10⁻¹⁴ Sm⁻¹) to the electric conductor (10⁵ Sm⁻¹). The electric conductivity can be obtained by controlling the volume fraction of copper powders in PMMA polymers, as dilatation. The addition of 10 vol%Cu slightly enhanced the impact value of PMMA, whereas the remarkable decrease in the Charpy impact value was found at 25±5 vol%Cu. The high conductive PMMA-Cu composites (from 15 to 20 vol%Cu) with high impact value (5.5±0.5 kJm⁻²), which was higher than that of dispersed nylon6 composites (2 kJm⁻²) utilized for practical exteriors, were obtained without impact value decay by addition of small amount of copper powders.