Computational prediction of electrical percolation threshold in polymer/graphene-based nanocomposites with finite element method.

In this research work, a two-dimensional model to predict the electrical percolation threshold (EPT) of the polymer/graphene-based nanocomposites in different concentrations of the randomly dispersed inclusions in various polymer matrices is introduced using the finite element method (FEM). The predicted EPT values were validated by other experimental results for different nanocomposites. Results showed that the electrical conductivity of different nanocomposites is significantly related to the percentage weight of the reinforcing phase in the polymer matrix. Furthermore, the addition of graphene-based nano-fillers in the polymer matrix caused a decrease in the tunneling distance in nanocomposites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]