ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY | MATERIALS


Materials meet the needs of electrical safety


New additives and compounds are benefiting products in cables, packaging, films and applications in rotational and injection moulding. Jennifer Markarian reports


Additives that make thermoplastics electrically conductive are used in a wide range of applications with varying levels of conductivity. Antistatic compounds prevent dust from collecting on surfaces, for example, and electrostatic dissipative (ESD) compounds for electronics packaging or manufacturing equipment prevent damage and reduce fire or explosion risk from uncontrolled electrostatic discharge. Electrically conductive compounds, containing additives such as carbon black, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphite, conduc- tive fibres or graphene may be used for parts in transportation or energy storage. Some applica- tions require compounds that are both electrically and thermally conductive. Traditionally, additives such as conductive carbon black and carbon fibre, including metal- coated carbon fibre, have been workhorses in ESD and in imparting conductivity to plastics, said AJ


www.compoundingworld.com


Pasquale, Co-founder and Director of Operations at Insight Polymers & Compounding. He added that newer materials, such as CNTs and graphene, are more efficient and can be used at lower levels, with less effect on other properties, such as toughness or viscosity. “The challenge is finding a balance between


properties, with combinations of old and new additives, to achieve lower cost, better perfor- mance and more consistency,” Pasquale explained. “For example, graphene combined with carbon fibre can deliver both mechanical strength and conductivity, but the industry lacks the experience it has with more established formulations. Conduc- tive carbon black and carbon fibre, for example, are a well-understood combination for balancing toughness and conductivity.” Insight Polymers is combining conductive additives to balance processing, mechanical, and


Main image: ESD com- pounds are used for packaging products at risk from uncon- trolled electrostatic discharge


January/February 2026 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 33


IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK


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