Simulations and electrical conductivity of percolated networks of finite rods with various degrees of axial alignment

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

We present a three-dimensional simulation and calculation of electrical conductivity above the filler percolation threshold for networks containing finite, conductive cylinders as a function of axial orientation $(S)$ and aspect ratio $(L/D)$. At a fixed volume fraction and $L/D$, the simulations exhibit a critical degree of orientation, Sc, above which the electrical conductivity decreases dramatically. With increasing filler concentration and aspect ratio, this critical orientation shifts to higher degrees of alignment. Additionally, at a fixed volume fraction and $L/D$, the simulated electrical conductivity displays a maximum at slight uniaxial orientation, which is less pronounced at higher volume fractions and aspect ratios. Our approach can be used as a predictive tool to design the optimal filler concentration and degree of orientation required to maximize electrical conductivity in polymer nanocomposites with conductive cylindrical fillers of finite dimension.