ELECTRICAL-PROPERTIES OF POLYESTER ELASTOMER COMPOSITES CONTAINING METALLIC FILLERS

The electrical properties, namely d.c. and a.c. conductivity, of polyester elastomer filled with various metallic and ferrite fillers have been investigated as a function of temperature, frequency and filler concentration. The temperature dependence of resistivity exhibited two regions of low and high activation energy (DELTA-E). The value of DELTA-E in the lower temperature region (I) decreased while in the higher temperature region (II) it increased with the increase of work function of the metal used. Only in the case of ferrite-filled composites could a positive temperature coefficient of resistance be observed. The frequency dependence of conductivity revealed that there is a very large intergranular capacitance which was even more in the case of ferrite-filled samples than in metal-filled ones. The various results have been explained on the basis of Schottky barrier formation and the depletion regions formed near the polymer-metal interface.