Effect of Various Conductive Filler Additions on the Percolations Threshold of LLDPE Conductive Polymer Composites

Polymeric materials are known to have insulating properties in general. Nevertheless, the insulating nature of polymers can be turned into electrically conductive by adding conductive fillers subjected to their critical filler loading or percolation threshold. In this study, the effects of various conductive fillers additions, namely copper, silver, and carbon black, on the percolation threshold of linear low-density polyethylene conductive polymer composites were investigated. The mechanical properties were determined using the tensile test, and the electrical conductivity was determined using the four-point probe. The incorporation of conductive fillers generally had an impact on the tensile strength and elongation at the break of the linear low-density polyethylene conductive polymer composites. Nonetheless, it was found that the electrical conductivity of all composites increases where the percolation threshold is estimated for carbon black at 2 wt% and for Ag and Cu at 6 wt% of filler additions.