Preparation and properties of conductive polyimide nanocomposites with assistance of a metallo-organic compound

Abstract

Highly reflective and electrical conductive polyimide films have been developed by incorporation of surface modified silver flakes and a metallo-organic compound, silver 2-ethylhexanoate, into a polyimide matrix. The surface conductivity can be obtained during the imidization process of polyimide, because the metallo-organic compound can decompose into silver atoms at a low temperature of 150 °C. The optimum weight ratio of silver 2-ethylhexanoate to silver flakes was 2/8, and the surface resistivity of the conductive polyimide film, which contained 30 wt% of silver fillers, was 10⁻² ohm sq⁻¹. The metallized films had excellent thermal properties. Their glass transition temperatures were above 276 °C, and the thermal decomposition temperatures were over 512 °C. The optical reflectivity of the films was up to 90%.