Carbon Circuits in Polymers

Abstract

Selectively processed areas in polymer layers or foils can form fine carbon circuits of a substantially enhanced conductivity. The state of the CB-particles (and the local plastic’s conductivity) can be changed by the short-range-displacements of the CB-particles that control the internal contacts of the circuit. Several examples of the potentiality of such processing routes are presented. A melt of the CB-plastic in the uni-directional electrical field increases its conductivity rapidly by several orders of magnitude [1]. Cooling down the composite melt into the solid state results in an abrupt decrease of conductivity. The intensity of the conductivity decrease depends on the conditions of the cooling regime [2]. The percolation-like transition can be induced by special processing route of a composite melt that has a lower CB concentration than the theoretical percolation threshold [3].