TECMAT approach to create electrically conductive monofilamants
Electrically conductive monofilaments: improved processability using a two-phase system
Birgit Stubbe and Stijn Corneillie , Centexbel, explain the TECMAT approach
Plastics are good insulators; to achieve a certain level of electrical conductivity, a relatively high concentration of conductive additives is typically required. These additives form clusters in the polymer matrix, whose size depends on the polarity and viscosity of the polymer. To achieve conduction, these clusters should be connected. The minimum concentration of additive needed to make connections and eventually create a network (and consequently induce conduction) is called the percolation concentration. However, this usually results in a sharp increase in viscosity which in turn leads to processing difficulties, especially for fibre spinning and for the production of thin-walled plastic parts.