Polymers for Electricity and Electronics

Materials, Properties, and Applications

Jiri George Drobny, Jiri George Drobny

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9780470455531
• eBook ISBN: 9781118160138
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Chemical & Biochemical Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

The comprehensive, practical book that explores the principles, properties, and applications of electrical polymers

The electrical properties of polymers present almost limitless possibilities for industrial research and development, and this book provides an in-depth look at these remarkable molecules. In addition to traditional applications in insulating materials, wires, and cables, electrical polymers are increasingly being used in a range of emerging technologies.

Presenting a comprehensive overview of how electrical polymers function and how they can be applied in the electronics, automotive, medical, and military fields, Polymers for Electricity and Electronics: Materials, Properties, and Applications presents intensive and accessible coverage with a focus on practical applications. Including examples of state-of-the-art scientific issues, the book evaluates new technologies—such as light emitting diodes, molecular electronics, liquid crystals, nanotechnology, optical fibers, and soft electronics—and explains the advantages of conductive polymers as well as their processibility and commercial uses.

This book is an essential resource for anyone working with, or interested in, polymers and polymer science. In addition, appendices that detail the electrical properties of selected polymers as well as list additional ASTM and corresponding international testing standards and methods for testing electrical properties are also included.

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Electricity is one of the most important parts of modern everyday life. It is used to run product machinery, transportation, communications, medical procedures, military operations, research, and so on. Most of the principles that explain electricity as a form of energy have been known since the 19th century. Scientists like Faraday, Ampère, and Maxwell did most of the fundamental work. Since then, every decade has brought some refinements, new discoveries, and new applications. Polymers (i.e., plastics and elastomers) are very essential materials in electrical applications.

The first known use of a polymeric substance (a natural one at that) as insulation of the first Transatlantic telephone cable was gutta-percha (trans-polyisoprene) in the 1860s. Natural rubber (cis-polyisoprene) (NR) became a very important insulation material after the invention of vulcanization in the late 1840s.

With the development of synthetic polymers, the selection of insulating materials has been steadily growing (Table 1.1). Today, there are dozens of polymers serving as insulators at extremely low and high temperatures, at a wide range of frequencies, in adverse environments. There are special polymers or their compounds that are conductors or semiconductors and exhibit other specialized properties.

Table 1.1 Milestones in the Development of Synthetic Polymers for Electrical and Electronic Applicationsa

Year/Years	Polymer
1907	Phenolic resin
1926	Aniline–formaldehyde resins
1928	Urea–formaldehyde resins
1929	Styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR)
1930	Nitrile–butadiene rubber (NBR)
1931	Polychloroprene rubber (Neoprene)
1937	Butyl rubber (IIR)
	Polyurethanes
1938	Epoxy resins
	PTFE (Teflon)
	Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)
	Polyethylene (PE)
1940	Polyamide (Nylon)
1944	Silicones
1950	Linear polyethylene
1951	Chlorosulfonated PE (Hypalon)
1950s (late)	Ethylene–propylene rubbers (EPM, EPDM) elastomers
	Fluorocarbon elastomers (Kel-F)
1964	Carbon (graphite) fibers
1960s (late)	Styrenic block copolymers (Kraton)
	Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)
	Ethylene–tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE)
	Fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP)
	Tetrafluoroethylene–perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA)
1970s (late)	Conductive polymers
	Polyamide-based thermoplastic elastomers (Pebax)
	Copolyesters (Hytrel)
	Thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV, Santoprene),
1980s	Thermoplastic polyolefins (TPO)
	Polyaniline
	Iodine-doped polyaniline (2000 Nobel Prize)
1990s to early 2000s	Conducting electroactive polymers (CEPs), including polypyrrole, polythiophene, sulfonated polyaniline
	Organic (polymeric) light-emitting diodes (OLEDs)
2001 to date	Organic (polymer) solar cells

a Due to the current multitude of projects involving new products and technologies, it is difficult to show exact years for the individual items.

1.1 ELECTRIC CHARGE

Elementary quantity of charge is ±1 e, with the electron carrying a charge of −1 e and the proton +1 e. The unit of charge is 1 C (coulomb); in some cases this unit is extremely large. A more practical unit is the microcoulomb (μC), which is one millionth of a coulomb. The magnitude of the electron charge is 1.6021 × 10−19 C or 1.6021 × 10−13 μC.

1.1.1 Static Electricity

Static electricity refers to the build up of electric charge on the surface of objects. The static charges remain on an object until they either bleed off to ground or are quickly neutralized by a discharge. Although charge exchange can happen whenever any two surfaces come into contact and separate, a static charge only remains when at least one of the surfaces has a high resistance to electrical flow (as an electrical insulator). The effects of static electricity are familiar to most people because we can feel, hear, and even see the spark as the excess charge is neutralized when brought close to a large electrical conductor (e.g., a path to the ground), or a region with an excess charge of the opposite polarity (positive or negative). The familiar phenomenon of a static “shock” is caused by the neutralization of charge.

Electric charge is an intrinsic characteristic of the fundamental particles making up those objects; that is, it is a characteristic that automatically accompanies those particles wherever they exist. Essentially, many o...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Preface
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Polymeric Materials
• Chapter 3: Polymers as Electrical Insulators
• Chapter 4: Specialty Polymers
• Chapter 5: Commercial Polymers Used in Practical Electrical and Electronic Applications
• Chapter 6: Applications of Specialty Polymers
• Chapter 7: Testing of Electrical Properties of Polymers
• Chapter 8: Current Trends and Developments
• Appendix I: Typical Values of Electrical Properties of Selected Polymers
• Appendix II: Electrical Properties, ASTM Test Methods, and Specifications
• Appendix III: Basic Electrical Tests: ASTM and Corresponding International Standards
• Appendix IV: Nobel Prize 2000 for Chemistry, Title Page
• Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Glossary
• Bibliography
• Index