Properties of SbCl5-doped PPP/PPS composites

Microindentation hardness is used to characterize the surface mechanical behaviour of two series of sintered PPP/PPS composites in a wide range of compositions. This work complements a previous electrical conductivity study carried out to determine the insulator-conductor transition within these materials. The influence of annealing the PPP-phase at 400° C before sintering the composites is discussed with reference to the additivity of hardness values of the single components PPP and PPS. The hardening of these composites upon doping with SbCl5 is investigated in the light of the morphology of sintered materials. The elastic release of the material and the creep behaviour under the indenter are examined in terms of the porosity of the samples and of the dopant penetration within the material. In the case of compact materials, the hardness is found to increase due to a doping-induced surface-hardening effect. The hardness increase in porous materials responds to an inclusion of the dopant species within the material volume.