Enhancing the electrical conductivity of polyetherimide-based foams by simultaneously increasing the porosity and graphene nanoplatelets dispersion

Significant improvement in electrical conductivity of graphene nanoplatelets-filled polyetherimide (PEI) foams was achieved by simultaneously increasing the porosity and graphene nanoplatelets dispersion. Foams were prepared by means of water vapor-induced phase separation using a concentration of graphene nanoplatelets (GnP) between 1 and 10 wt%. To obtain two sets of foams having different density and porosity, PEI's concentration in N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) solvent prior to foaming was set at 15 and 25–30 wt%, respectively. High-power sonication was applied to GnP-NMP suspension before PEI's addition for the foam series with higher porosity (15 wt% PEI). All foams were later characterized in terms of cellular structure, thermal stability, dynamic-mechanical properties, and electrical conductivity. A notable enhancement in electrical conductivity was observed with foaming, especially when increasing the porosity and applying sonication, with foams reaching values as high as 1.7 × 10-1 S/m while maintaining the thermal stability and mechanical performancePostprint (author's final draft