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Simulations and electrical conductivity of percolated networks of finite rods with various degrees of axial alignment

2009; American Physical Society; Volume: 79; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1103/physrevb.79.024301

1550-235X

Sadie I. White, B. A. DiDonna, Minfang Mu, T. C. Lubensky, Karen I. Winey,

Theoretical and Computational Physics

We present a three-dimensional simulation and calculation of electrical conductivity above the filler percolation threshold for networks containing finite, conductive cylinders as a function of axial orientation $(S)$ and aspect ratio $(L/D)$. At a fixed volume fraction and $L/D$, the simulations exhibit a critical degree of orientation, ${S}_{c}$, above which the electrical conductivity decreases dramatically. With increasing filler concentration and aspect ratio, this critical orientation shifts to higher degrees of alignment. Additionally, at a fixed volume fraction and $L/D$, the simulated electrical conductivity displays a maximum at slight uniaxial orientation, which is less pronounced at higher volume fractions and aspect ratios. Our approach can be used as a predictive tool to design the optimal filler concentration and degree of orientation required to maximize electrical conductivity in polymer nanocomposites with conductive cylindrical fillers of finite dimension.