Numerical and experimental study of radiation induced conductivity change of carbon nanotube filled polymers

Abstract

Measuring the conductivity changes of sensing materials to detect a wide range of radiation energy and dosage is one of the major sensing mechanisms of radiation sensors. Carbon nanotube (CNT) filled composites are suitable for sensing radiation because of the extraordinary electrical properties of CNTs and the CNT-network formed inside the polymer matrix. Although the use of CNT-based nanocomposites as potential radiation sensing materials has been widely studied, there is still a lack of theoretical models to analyze the relationship between electrical conductivity and radiation dosages. In this article, we propose a 3D model to describe the electrical conductivity of CNT-based nanocomposites when being irradiated by ionizing radiation. The Monte Carlo method has been employed to calculate radiation intensity, CNT concentration and alignment's influence on the electrical conductivity. Our simulation shows a better agreement when CNT loading is between the percolation threshold and 3% volume fraction. Radiation experiments have been performed to verify the reliability of our model to illustrate a power function relationship between the electrical conductivity of a CNT-filled polymer and radiation intensity. In addition, the predicted alignment to obtain the best sensitivity for radiation sensing has been discussed to help with CNT-network building in the fabrication process.

X-ray Radiation Effects on SWCNT/PMMA Thin Film Nanocomposites

“…A 3D model to describe the electrical conductivity of CNT filled polymer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) during exposure to ionizing radiation was studied using the Monte Carlo method [14]. The researcher used this method to calculate CNT concentration, alignment's influence on electrical conductivity of carbon-filled polymer.…”

“…X-ray radiation effect on SWCNT was studied [13]. Numerical investigations of radiation-induced conductivity changes of carbon nanotube filled polymers were performed, using a 3D model to describe ionizing radiationinduced electrical conductivity of carbon nanotube-based nanocomposite [14].…”