A study on thermal and electrical conductivities of ethylene-butene copolymer composites with carbon fibers

Abstract

Ethylene-butene copolymer (EBC)/carbon-fiber (CF) composites can be utilized as an electromechanical material due to their ability to change electric resistance with mechanical strain. The electro-mechanical properties and thermal conductivity of ethylene butene copolymer (EBC) composites with carbon fibers were studied. Carbon fibers were introduced to EBC with various concentrations (5 to 25 wt%). The results showed that carbon fibers' addition to EBC improves the electric conductivity up to 10 times. Increasing the load up to 2.9 MPa will raise the electric resistance change by 4 500% for a 25% fiber sample. It is also noted that the EBC/CF composites' electric resistance underwent a dramatic increase in raising the strain. For example, the resistance change was around 13 times higher at 15% strain compared to 5% strain. The thermal conductivity tests showed that the addition of carbon fibers increases the thermal conductivity by 40%, from 0.19 to 0.27 Wm(-1)K(-1).