Preparation and performance of natural graphite-silver nanoparticles/polyurethane conductive composites

The natural graphite (C)-silver (Ag)/ polyurethane conductive composite films were prepared through in-situ incorporation of silver nanoparticles into the C/PU system by thermal treatment. The morphology of the composite films was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement was performed to trace the silver reduction and aggregation process. The results indicate that the silver ions are reduced to silver atoms and form silver nanoparticles with diameters of about 10nm dispersed in the PU matrix during the thermal treatment process. Furthermore, due to the bridging effect of silver nanoparticles among the natural graphite particles, the introduction of silver nanoparticles matrix has significantly enhanced the conductivity of C/PU composite films.