Electrically conductive composites based on furan aminoplast obtained from renewable plant materials
Abstract
Electrically conductive composites based on furan aminoplast obtained from renewable plant materials
Incoming article date: 18.07.2025Conductive polymer composite materials were successfully obtained using furan aminoplast as a binder, synthesized on the basis of a by-product of processing plant biomass into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural – humic resin and melamine (HumMel). Composites were made using different types of graphite (natural (NG), colloidal (CG)) as a filler. The filler content varied within 30–70 wt.%. It was shown that the conductivity of the composite material increases with the content of the conductive filler, and its strength changes in the opposite order. The best conductivity (contact resistance of 0.011 Ohm cm2) was shown by the polymer composite based on NG, containing 30% aminoplast. High strength (compression and bending strength of 55.2 and 38.6 MPa, respectively) was demonstrated by the composite with CG, containing 70 wt. of the polymer binder. The HumMel-NG-50 polymer composite meets the requirements for similar materials for the production of bipolar plates of fuel cells in terms of electrical conductivity (0.022 Ohm∙cm2) and mechanical strength (25.7 and 25.3 MPa in compression and bending, respectively).
Keywords: conductive polymer composite, furan aminoplast, carbon filler, bipolar plates, fuel cell