Mechanistic structure–property relationships in carbon/polymer composites: connectivity, junction resistance, and durability

Sharma, Sachin Kumar (author), Pradhan, Reshab (author), Sharma, Lokesh Kumar (author), Sharma, Yogesh (author), Pal, Yatendra (author), Bračun, Drago (author), Klobčar, Damjan (author)

Carbon/polymer composites are increasingly designed as microstructure-engineered multifunctional materials that combine mechanical reinforcement with electrical/thermal transport, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, and sensing. Performance is governed less by filler fraction than by the coupled control of network topology, junction resistance, and interfacial thermal boundary resistance under processing-induced shear and thermal histories. Electrical response follows percolation combined with tunneling/contact-controlled junctions, producing nonlinear σ(φ) behavior and high piezoresistive sensitivity near the percolation threshold. In contrast, thermal transport is commonly limited by Kapitza resistance and filler–filler junction resistance, restricting exploitation of the intrinsic conductivity of CNTs and graphene. Recent advances emphasize hybrid and 3D carbon architectures that densify connectivity, reduce junction losses, and enable programmable anisotropy via scalable routes such as masterbatch extrusion and additive manufacturing. However, translation remains constrained by dispersion-driven variability, transport–toughness trade-offs, and incomplete durability assessment under cycling, humidity, and reprocessing. This review consolidates mechanistic structure–processing–property relationships and provides application-driven design rules for sensors, EMI shielding, and thermal management.

• Language: English
• Keywords: carbon-polymer composites, percolation and tunneling, interfacial thermal resistance, hybrid architecture, 3D architecture, durability, recyclability
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 46 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 18, issue 10, art. 1220
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-182613
• UDC: 620.1:678.7
• ISSN on article: 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym18101220
• COBISS.SI-ID: 278600963
• Publication date in RUL: 19.05.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Polymers
• Shortened title: Polymers
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2073-4360
• COBISS.SI-ID: 517951257

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: kompoziti iz ogljika in polimerov, kontaktne povezave, medfazni toplotni upor, hibridna arhitektura, tridimenzionalna arhitektura, trajnost, možnosti recikliranja