Mechanical and Conductive Behavior of Graphite Filled Polysulfone-Based Composites

Featured Application The developed materials can be used for the manufacture of bi- and monopolar plates of electrochemical systems for energy accumulation and storage. Polysulfone-based composite materials filled with artificial, natural, or thermally expanded graphite have been investigated. Composite materials with filling degrees between 30 and 70 wt.% were prepared using solution technology. High filling levels with graphite fillers allowed for the achievement of thermal conductivity of 7.35 W/m center dot K and electrical conductivity of 52.9 S/cm. The use of natural graphite has been found to have the greatest impact on thermal and electrical characteristics, while materials with dispersed artificial graphite exhibit the best mechanical properties. Evolution of samples' density and porosity with the filling degree as well as the effect of these parameters on the conductive properties have been analyzed and discussed.