Research on the Electrical and Mechanical Properties of Conductive Epoxy Composite

T his paper reported on the possibility of using organic materials in the production of green epoxy conductive composites. Epoxy composite samples were produced through the hybridization of carbonized coconut fibre filler (CCS), raffia palm fibre (RPF), carbon black (CB), and carbon fibre (CF), using the simple hand lay-up technique. Then the electrical properties (electrical resistivity and electrical conductivity) and the mechanical properties (tensile strength) of the composite samples were tested accordingly, using the ASTM D6343 – 14, ASTM B193 and ASTM D 3039 approved methods. Results obtained from the laboratory tests revealed that both the CCS and RPF (organic materials) have significant influence on the mechanical and electrical properties of the composite samples. It was observed that the electrical conductivity of the composite samples increased (4.34x10-3 S/cm to 4.48x10-3 S/cm) as the CCS loading increased from 3% to 6% (by mass); before it started to decline after 9% (by mass) CCS loading, recording lowest conductivity of 9x10-4 S/cm at 15% CCS volume. The electrical resistivity of the composite samples was noted to decline from 2.90x107 Ωcm to 2.83x107 Ωcm as the CCS content in the composite increased from 3% to 6%, before it started to increase after 9% CCS quantity, with the S5 composite sample (15% CCS quantity) having the highest electrical resistivity of 3.80x107 Ωcm. Regarding the composite’s mechanical properties, the study depicted that the S1 composite sample had the highest tensile strength of 98.3 MPa, while the S5 composite developed the lowest tensile strength of 62.7 MPa, portraying that the CCS and RAF has a substantial effect on the composites samples’ tensile strength. This study’s results portrayed the possibility of producing lightweight, high-tensile strength conductive composite from organic waste materials, which can be utilized in several engineering applications.