Prediction of percolation threshold and electrical conductivity characteristics for polymer nanocomposites according to geometric parameters of CNTs

In this study, we investigated the changes in percolation threshold and electrical conductivity for polymer nanocomposites in accordance with geometric parameters of carbon nanotubes(CNTs). CNTs were randomly modeled as line segments, and periodic boundary conditions were applied to the two-dimensional representative volume element (RVE). The entire resistance network of the inner RVE was generated based on the connectivity of intersection points between line segments. The shortest path with the direction of the current between electrodes was used to determine whether percolation occurred. Based on this, the percolation threshold was predicted by conducting a Monte Carlo simulation. The electrical conductivity was predicted using Kirchhoff's current law and the finite element method. We verified the adequacy by comparing our results with other references, and the effects of percolation threshold and electrical conductivity were captured according to geometric parameters.