Temperature Dependence DC Conductivity in Nanostructured Alumina Filler Incorporated Polycarbonate Matrix

The paper describes temperature dependence of DC conductivity of polycarbonate matrix materials in which nano-structured amorphous alumina has been incorporated as a filler in certain commercial grades of polycarbonate polymers. The two commercial-grade polycarbonate materials, i. e. , (PC-1, PC-2 grades respectively) are processed with different levels of nanostructured alumina filler material in the concentration range of 1 - 5 w % with the influence of heat and mechanical torque for mixing, in which homogenization between the filler material and polycarbonate takes place that results in nano-filler incorporated polycarbonate matrix materials. The DC conductivity of the derived polycarbonate matrix materials has been measured as a function of temperature under the supply of constant voltage from ambient temperature until just below the softening point (Tg) of both base and the composite materials. The results show that there is a decrease in the DC conductivity levels and hence an increase in the insulation resistivity (IR) as compared to that of the base polymer at any temperature, which is further found to be dependent on the level of incorporation of filler material in the polycarbonate matrix.