Distribution of components in EVA-EPP-carbon black

Images of tapping mode topography (left) and phase (right) of semiconducting polymer blends. The blends contained two polyolefin copolymers, poly(ethylene vinyl acetate) (EVA) and ethylene-propylene copolymer (EPP), mixed with carbon black (CB). The images correspond to blends with 10 wt % (top) and 30 wt % (bottom) EPP. Carbon black is an economical filler used in many practical applications to create electrically conducting polymers. However, addition of CB can significantly affect blend qualities such as viscosity. The use of two copolymers achieved a balance between performance (electrical volume resistivity) and processing (melt flow rate). The phase images clearly differentiate individual blend components, allowing the effect of component distribution on conductivity to be studied. Imaged with the MFP-3D AFM, 20 ?m scan size. Ref. T. Gkourmpis, C. Svanberg, S.K. Kaliappan, W. Schaffer, M. Obadal, G. Kandioller, and D. Tranchida, Eur. Polym. J. 49, 1975 (2013).