Preparation of a polymer-based conductive film filled with single-walled carbon nanotubes

A single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) filled styrene-acrylate latex conductive film was prepared using a polymer-latex-based technology. SWCNTs were dispersed in a gum arabic(GA) water solution by means of sonication, and mixed with styrene-acrylate latex to form a conductive composite film after drying at room temperature. The formation of a conductive network of SWCNTs in the polymer matrix was also studied. TEM images showed that SWCNTs were effectively dispersed from bundles to single tubes under the sonication in the GA solution and the surfaces of the SWCNTs were wrapped by GA molecules. The percolation threshold concentration of SWCNTs was as low as 0.03%, when they formed a conductive network.