Effects of Charge Trapping on the Electrical Conductivity of Low-Density Polyethylene―Carbon Black Composites

Electrical conductivities of low-density polyethylene (LDPE)–carbon black (CB) composites were studied using high resistance meter at room temperature (DC conductivity) and dielectric spectroscopy (AC conductivity) in the frequency range between 90 kHz and 13 MHz and temperature range from 120 to 355 K. DC measurements revealed a percolation threshold at about 20 wt % of CB content, whereas AC measurements show two conductivity peaks at about 15% and 23% of CB content. The presence of two percolation thresholds was attributed to different dispersions of CB particles in structural inhomogeneities of LDPE. The experimental data were analyzed using the model of Efros and Shklovskii, which describes the critical behavior of a complex conductivity using critical indexes. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011