Epoxy Resin/Nano Ni@C Composites Exhibiting NTC Effect with Tunable Resistivity

Epoxy resin/Ni@C nanoparticle composites with aligned microstructure were prepared by using a procedure of magnetic field assisted curing. The results show that the resistivity of composites exhibits negative temperature coefficient (NTC) effect above room temperature, and can be adjusted by varying the content filler and the magnitude of magnetic field applied. Hill's quantum tunneling model was modified to understand the electrical conduction mechanism in the composites. It shows that the NTC effect ascribes to the dominant thermal activated tunneling transport of electron across adjacent nanoparticles, as well as the low thermal expansivity of epoxy resin matrix.