Properties of polyphenylene sulfide/multiwalled carbon nanotubes composites: a comparison between compression molding and microinjection molding

Abstract This work comparatively studied the electrical, morphological, and thermal properties of polyphenylene sulfide/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (PPS/CNT) composites prepared by compression molding (CM) and microinjection molding (μIM), respectively. The subsequent samples were termed as CM composites and microparts, respectively. Results revealed that the electrical conductivity of PPS/CNT microparts was lower than that of CM PPS/CNT composites, which was ascribed to the difference in shearing which affected microstructural evolution. In addition, SEM observations revealed that the distribution of CNTs became better in the PPS/CNT microparts, which was related to the prevailing higher shearing effect in μIM. The tensile strength of PPS/CNT microparts dropped for filler concentrations ≤2 wt% and it started to increase after reaching 10 wt%; in comparison with the PPS/CNT microparts, the tensile strength of CM PPS/CNT samples exhibited an opposite trend when the filler concentration was ≤3 wt%. After that, the tensile strength showed a monotonic increase with increasing CNT concentration. Both the uniform distribution of CNT and increase of crystallinity were crucial to improving the tensile strength of PPS/CNT moldings. This work showed that PPS/CNT moldings with good electrical conductivity and mechanical performance can be molded at relatively high filler concentrations, which is critical for applications in demanding engineering sectors.