About electrical conductivity of the epoxy matrix with carbon nanotubes

Polymeric materials on the basis of epoxy resins are widely applied in production of various devices and structures. In real work electrical conductivity of epoxy matrixes modified by carbon nanotubes under continuous current in the course of their polymerization at a constant tension is experimentally investigated. The relevance of the research is bound to an adequate theoretical model of orientation ordering of carbon nanotubes for a liquid polymeric matrix for an electric field. The description of the pilot unit and measurement technique is provided. The paper presents the measurement results of volt-ampere characteristics of specimens of composite materials with various percentages (by weight) of carbon nanotubes, which prove that the conductivity has an ohmic character. Stabilization times of the current proceeding through the specimens after the beginning of polymerization at a constant tension are defined. According to established values of current it is shown that the conductivity of the specimens of epoxy matrixes through which current at polymerization proceeded is higher than the conductivity of specimens through which current didn't proceed. At the same time with an increase of nanotubes concentration, there comes an increase of difference of the specimens’ conductivity. The research of dependence of the specimen conductivity on temperature in a day after the beginning of polymerization of the composite material is conducted. It is established that when heating to 90 C, the conductivity of the specimen imposed with the current during polymerization decreases to values of the specimen conductivity without current. The research is aimed at studying how to make solidification technologies of composite materials faster for production of large parts in space applications. The received results can be also used for development of prospective manufacturing techniques of composite materials with the given electrophysical and mechanical characteristics using electric fields of the corresponding configuration in the course of their polymerization.