Influence of stabilizer concentration on transport behavior and thermopower of carbon nanotube filled latex-based composites

The influence of the stabilizer/SWNT ratio on the transport behavior of latex-based polymer nanocomposites is examined in an effort to improve electrical conductivity while maintaining or improving the Seebeck coefficient (i.e., thermopower). Results show that phonon and electron transport are significantly affected by tube/tube junctions, and the carrier transport across the junctions can be manipulated by altering the stabilizer concentration. Electrical conductivity of composites containing 10 wt.-% SWNT nearly doubles, becoming greater than 900 S·m^-1, by changing the SWNT:GA ratio from 1:3 to 10:1, while thermal conductivity and Seebeck coefficient remain relatively constant (near 0.25W·m-K^-1 and 40 µV·K^-1, respectively).