Electrical conductivity of polymer composites based on carbonized wood flour via plasma post-treatment as an effective and economical filler

The recycling of waste resources is not optional but rather essential to achieve a sustainable human future. In this study, the feasibility of carbonized wood flour (CWF) as a conductive filler was evaluated for improving the electrical conductivity of polymer composites because wood flour is a sustainable and promising precursor for CWF filler, as a naturally abundant and industrially steady resource. The optimized electrical conductivity of the composite with 25 wt% CWF post-treated by the inductively coupled plasma (ICP), proposed in this study, was 71 S/m, exceeding that of the carbon black (CB)-filled composite (12 S/m). In addition, the estimated production cost of ICP treated CWF ($1.35–1.55/kg) was about 22.5%–32.5% lower than that of commercial CB ($2/kg). Therefore, the CWF was an effective, economical, and eco-friendly conductive filler to enhance the electrical conductivity of polymer composites.