Department:Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Publisher:American Physical Society
Date Issued:2012-12
Abstract:
We present a three-dimensional simulation of electrical conductivity in isotropic, polydisperse rod networks from which we determine the percolation threshold (ϕ[subscript c]). Existing analytical models that account for size dispersity are formulated in the slender-rod limit and are less accurate for predicting ϕ[subscript c] in composites with rods of modest L/D. Using empirical approximations from our simulation data, we generalized the excluded volume percolation model to account for both finite L/D and size dispersity, providing a solution for ϕ[subscript c] of polydisperse rod networks that is quantitatively accurate across the entire L/D range.
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