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 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TRANSACTIONS  
 

VOL. 66, 2018 

A publication of 

 
The Italian Association 

of Chemical Engineering 
Online at www.aidic.it/cet 

Guest Editors: Songying Zhao, Yougang Sun, Ye Zhou
Copyright © 2018, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l. 
ISBN 978-88-95608-63-1; ISSN 2283-9216 

Study on the Influence of Superconducting Carbon Black on 
the Mechanical and Antistatic Properties of Wood Powder 

/PVC Composites 

Danyu Luo 

Zhengzhou Electric Power College, Zhengzhou 450004, China 
121205700@qq.com 

This paper aims to uncover the antistatic and mechanical properties of poplar powder / PVC composites 
added with different masses of Superconductor Carbon Black (SCB). The results show that, as the dosage of 
SCB increases, the tensile and flexural strengths of the composites gradually beef up. When 
m(SCB):m(PVC)=16:100, the above two reach the peaks, as compared to the case when m(SCB): 
m(PVC)=0:100, its tensile strength increases by 39.21%, the flexural strength by 21.94%. When the 
m(SCB):m(PVC) builds up to 12:100from 0:100, the surface resistance of the composite system presents a 
steady state transition; when m(SCB):m(PVC)>12:100, the surface resistance shows a downward trend. 
When m(SCB):m(PVC)=18:100, the composite can be made antistatic. 

1. Introduction 

Wood-plastic composite is produced in such a way that wood fiber and thermoplastic plastics as the base 
materials are added with processing agent, then molded. Wood fibers includes poplar powder, peanut shell, 
flax and other natural fibers; thermoplastic plastics that are a little more common include PE, PP, and PVC. 
Wood-plastic composites feature the recyclability, environmental friendliness, biodegradability and other 
excellent properties. In recent years, the ever-growing composites alike as a hotspot topic have aroused wide 
concern of people, especially PVC-based wood-plastic composite materials which, due to good molding 
processability, low cost, and woodiness feel, are finding wider and wider applications in many industries (Chen 
et al., 2008; Henson and Whelan, 1973; Czégény et al., 2015; Pulngern et al., 2016; Binici and Aksogan, 
2016; Bai et al., 2011; Kositchaiyong et al., 2014; Chetanachan et al., 2001). 
As everyone knows, plastics is a good electrical insulator. It is still a poor conductor of electricity if 
compounded with wood fiber, etc. Beyond that, it can also accumulate a mass of static charges which easily 
heap up to explode. For this reason, the applications of wood-plastic composites in some areas such as 
electronic component production workshops, machine rooms, and operating rooms are limited. Currently, the 
antistatic materials used in the domestic industry generally are made of molded and machined PVCs with 
conductive substances (Jiang and PascalKamdem, 2004). On this basis, this study adopts a melt blending 
process method, uses poplar powder, PVC as the primary materials to prepare an antistatic poplar 
powder/PVC composite material to which the SCB is then added, so as to further study how the antistatic and 
mechanical properties of the composite materials are subjected to change with different dosages of this 
additive. It is hoped that this study will provide the clues to the modification design for antistatic materials 
applied in electronic component production workshops, machine rooms, operating rooms and the like. 

2. Experiment 

2.1 Raw materials 

PVC: LB110, LG chemistry; 
Poplar powder: 40-60 meshes, Hebei Lingshou Guoming Minerals Processing Plant; 
Rare earth stabilizers, Gaomi Kaixiang Chemical Co., Ltd; 

                                

 
 

 

 
   

                                                  
DOI: 10.3303/CET1866022 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Please cite this article as: Luo D., 2018, Study on the influence of superconducting carbon black on the mechanical and antistatic properties 
of wood powder /pvc composites, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 66, 127-132  DOI:10.3303/CET1866022   

127



ACR, Shandong Gaomi Youqiang Auxiliaries Co., Ltd; 
Polyethylene wax, Qingdao Sino Chemical Co., Ltd; 
SCB: EC-600JD, Japan Lion Corporation; 

2.2 Major equipment and instruments 

Pendulum Impact Tester: ZBC7501-B, MTS Systems (China) Corporation; 
Precision open mill: ZG-120, Dongguan Zhenggong Precision Testing Instrument Factory; 
Box-type resistance furnace: SX2-2.5-10, Shangyu City, Zhejiang Province, Hu Nan Electric Oven Factory; 
Plastic pulverizer: SWP/l60, Qingdao Jiaozhou Hongda Plastic Auxiliary Machinery Plant; 
Flat vulcanizer: TP1400, Shanghai Wodi Technology Co., Ltd.; 
Universal sampling machine: ZHY-W, Hebei Chengde Experimental Machine Plant; 
High-speed mixer: SHR-10A, Zhangjiagang Spark Degradation Equipment Factory; 
Electronic universal tester: CMT-4304, MTS Systems (China) Corporation; 
SEM: JEOL-2010, JEOL Ltd. 

2.3 Sample preparation and characterization 

According to the recipe, each component is accurately weighed and placed in a high-speed mixer. After all 
components are fully mixed, the resultant sheet material is crushed in a pulverizer, put pulverized material in a 
mold and press it into a plate by a vulcanizer (Hot pressing conditions: upper and lower plate temperatures of 
180oC, 10 min preheating and melting, 8 min hot pressing, 10 min cold pressing, 10 MPa pressure). In the 
end, a universal sampling machine cuts the pressed plate into standard strips as specified in size for the test; 
then, the strips are crimped into 100 mm×100 mm×6 mm by a hot press for the test on the surface resistivity 
(Zhang et al., 2016). 
Impact strength is tested in accordance with GB/T 1843-2008; tensile strength in accordance with GB/T 
1040.1-2006; flexural strength in accordance with GB/T9341-2008; SEM, the voltage is maintained at 20Kv, 
the sample surface is treated with gilding, and the surface resistivity is tested in accordance with GB1410-
1989 (Zhang and Wei, 2016). 

3. Results and discussion 

3.1 Effect of SCB on tensile strength of poplar wood/PVC composites 

As shown in Figure 1, within the laboratory area in this study, as the dosage of SCB increases, the tensile 
strength of the composite system gradually builds up. When m (superconducting carbon black): 
m(PVC)=16:100, the tensile strength of the composite reaches a maximum, and then lets up little by little as 
the dosage of SCB continues to increase.  

 

Figure 1: Effect of the dosage of SCB on tensile strength of composite 

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Compared to the case when m (SCB): m(PVC)=0:100, the tensile strength of composites in this case 
increases by 39.21% since the SCB particles have a certain surface activity. The reason why it has aneffect 
on the composite system may be have a direct bearing on the dispersion state of these particles and the 
interfacial interaction with the PVC substrate. When the dosage of SCB is less than m(SCB): m(PVC)=16:100, 
it will bind the macromolecules to form a crosslinked structure under the action of an adjuvant, so as to 
increase the tensile strength of the composite. As the dosage of SCB gradually grows, its dispersibility gets 
poor, and even agglomeration occurs, resulting in stress concentration. There is relative displacement 
occurred on the interface between the two, so that the stress cannot be effectively transmitted, the SCB fails 
to play its due strength potential, resulting in a gradual decrease in the tensile strength of the composite. 

3.2 Effect of SCB on flexural strength of poplar powder / PVC composite 

From Figure 2, we can learn that in the lab area involved in this study, as the dosage of SCB increases, the 
bending strength of the composite gradually beefs up. When m (SCB): m (PVC)=16:100, the flexural strength 
of the composite system reaches a maximum, and as the dosage of SCB keeps growing, the flexural strength 
of the composite material gradually decreases. As compared to the case when m (SCB):m(PVC)=0:100, the 
flexural strength of composites in the case of m (SCB): m(PVC)=16:100 increases by 21.94% since the 
crosslinked structure generated from mutual binding between superconductor CBs and macromolecule under 
the action of adjuvant improves the flexural strength of composites. In parallel, as the SCB builds up little by 
little, the dispersibility gets poor so that a certain degree of agglomeration occurs therein, stress transfer will 
be blocked, weakening the release of crosslinking strength. It is possible that the bending strength of the 
composite gradually becomes poor (Li et al., 2018). 

 

Figure 2: Effect of the dosage of SCB on the flexural strength of composite 

3.3 Effect of SCB on the surface resistivity of poplar powder / PVC composite 

As shown in Figure 3, the surface resistivities of the SCB/ poplar powder/PVC composites are subjected to 
decrease with the increase in the dosage of SCB, when m(SCB): m(PVC) gradually builds up to 12:100from 0 
:100, the surface resistivity of the composite system presents a steady-state transition at a low rate. When m 
(SCB): m(polychloroethylene)>12:100, the surface resistivity of the composite system shows a downward 
trend; the percolations of SCB in the poplar powder/PVC composites are approximately m (SCB): 
m(PVC)=12:100. In general, when the surface resistivity of the composite is less than 1 ×10

12 Ω, the surface 
static electricity of the composite material can fade away. When m (SCB): m(PVC)=18:100, the surface 
resistivity of the composite is 5.76 ×108Ω, having an antistatic effect. When the dosage of SCB is lower than 
its percolation value, the distance between conductive particles of SCB is relatively large. For the transmission 
of electrons, it can only achieve this via ion and space charges, and no conductive path cannot be form. In this 
sense, the surface resistivity is less subjected to change with the dosage of SCBs. When its dosage increases 
to a certain threshold, the distance between adjacent conductive particles of SCB gets narrow. The particles 
can penetrate an intermediate polymer film to achieve conduction with an electron tunnel effect. At that time, 
its surface resistivity falls sharply. 

129



 

Figure 3: Effect of dosage of SCB on the surface resistivity of composite 

3.4 Analysis of SEMs of SCB/poplar powder/PVC composite 

In Figure 4 below, a, b, and c are electron microscopes at 10,000 times magnification of the section of the 
composites when m (SCB): m (PVC)=2:100, 12:100, and 18:100, respectively. As compared to common 
carbon black, the SCBs exists in a bead-like heap that resembles a bunch of grapes. There is obvious drape 
in the interior, and the SCB particles is uneven in color on the surface, not a smooth solid sphere but a rough 
porous structure with high specific surface area and good constitutive property. Since the surface of SCB often 
contains a huge mass of polar groups with the polarity extremely like that of PVC resin. As a result, when m 
(SCB): m(PVC)=2:100, 12:100, 18:100, SCBs well disperse in PVC substrate more uniformly. When the 
dosage of SCBs is low, the degree of isolation between the SCB particles is relatively high. When the SCBs 
build up to a certain value, the interparticle isolationareas are balanced so that a conductive network structure 
is formed. 
 

 
a. m(Superconducting carbon black):m(PVC)=2:100 

130



 
b. m(Superconducting carbon black):m(PVC)=12:100 

 
c. m(Superconducting carbon black):m(PVC)=18:100 

Figure 4: Photograph of 10,000 x magnified section of composite at different dosages of SCB 

4. Conclusions 

(1) SCB can be well compatible with poplar powder/PVC composites after blending, fully exerting its own good 
physical and chemical properties, which significantly improves the mechanical properties of poplar wood/PVC 
composites. 
(2) As the additive dosage of SCB increases, the tensile and bending strengths of the composites gradually 
beef up. When m(SCB):m(PVC)=16:100, the above two parameters reach the peaks. While increasing 
continuously, they gradually go the other way around. As compared to the case when m(SCB):m(PVC)=0:100, 
composite material tensile strength, in the above case, the tensile strength of composite increases by 39.21%, 
and the flexural strength by 21.94%. 

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(3) The surface resistivity of SCB/ poplar powder/PVC composites decreases with the increase of the dosage 
of SCB and presents steady state transition when the value of m(SCB):m(PVC) builds up from 0:100 to 
12:100. When m(SCB):m(polychloroethylene)>12:100, the surface resistivity of the composite system shows a 
downward trend, percolation for SCB in poplar powder/PVC composites is approximately 
m(SCB):m(PVC)=12:100. 

Acknowledgments 

This work is supported by Key scientific research projects in Henan colleges and Universities (18B580004). 

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