Heat-resistant unfired phosphate ceramics with carbon nanotubes for electromagnetic application

Composite materials, containing low concentrations of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) of three different diameters and heat-resistant phosphate ceramic as a matrix were prepared by cold-pressing method. Their dielectric properties were studied at room temperature in a wide frequency range (20 Hz–1 MHz). It was found experimentally and proved theoretically via modeling of the composites as a random capacitor–resistor–diode network that electrical percolation concentration depends significantly on the diameter of the nanoinclusions. The main conclusion is that the best candidate providing both the lower percolation threshold and high absolute values of ac conductivity is thinner carbon nanotubes (in our particular case, 8–15 nm).