Electroactive thermoset shape memory polymer nanocomposite filled with nanocarbon powders

This paper concerns an electroactive thermoset styrene-based shape memory polymer (SMP) nanocomposite filled with nanosized (30 nm) carbon powders. With an increase of the incorporated nanocarbon powders of the SMP composite, its glass transition temperature ( T g ) decreases and storage modulus increases. Due to the high micro-porosity and homogeneous distributions of nanocarbon powders in the SMP matrix, the SMP composite shows good electrical conductivity with a percolation of about 3.8%. This percolation threshold is slightly lower than that of many other carbon-based conductive polymer composites. Consequently, due to the relatively high electrical conductivity, a sample filled with 10 vol% nanocarbon powders shows a good electroactive shape recovery performance heating by a voltage of 30 V above a transition temperature of 56–69 °C.