Evaluation of electrical and thermal conductivity of polymeric wastes after being doped with charcoal and graphite

Abstract

This work being gingered by the big menace being posed on our environment by polymeric waste and it’s rechanneling involved the studying of the electrical and thermal conductivities of the polymers PP, PE, PS and nylon66 doped with charcoal and graphite. Five grams of each polymer was mixed with varying concentrations of the dopants (charcoal and graphite).0%, 0.05%, 0.10%, 0.5%, 0.75%, 1.00%, 1.25% and 1.5% concentrations of the dopants were used to mix five grams of each of the polymers. The mixture on melting with heat application was compressed in a wooden mold to form tablets of the doped polymers. On testing for the electrical and thermal conductivities of the doped polymers it was observed that both conductivities were greatly enhanced as the concentrations of the dopants increased. Hence it is evident that those polymeric materials on further modifications can be used for other purposes especially in the industries for example producing capacitors other than being littered and disposed in the environment.

Keywords: Polymers, Environment, Pollutant, Dopant, and conductivities