Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 December 2015
Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) electronics are generally not specificallydesigned to perform in extremely transient high impact scenarios. This researchfocused on the development of a silver-decorated carbon black-based polymericnanocomposite with properties such as high conductivity, flexibility, and shockabsorbency. Polymeric rubber materials are generally very flexible and shockabsorbing, however, most polymeric materials are electrical insulators. Thedispersion of the silver-decorated carbon black into the polymeric matrix couldsignificantly improve the electrical conductivity. The processing andfabrication of Ag-CB (silver-carbon black)/Epoxy (thermosetting epoxy polymer)and Ag-CB/TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) will be reported. Both Ag-CB/Epoxyand Ag-CB/TPU mixtures with solvents showed the shear-thinning behavior, whichwas an important characteristic for direct printing of traces and AdditiveManufacturing (AM). The mechanical properties of the nanocomposites weremeasured using Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) over a wide range oftemperatures. These nanocomposite materials were also successfully used to printflexible circuits using a 3D-printing machine. The electrical resistance changefor the Ag-CB/Epoxy on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and Ag-CB/TPU on PDMS understrain was studied, and the results will be discussed.