Studies of mechanical, thermal and electrical properties of guar gum/carbon black composites

Polymers have proved to be an indispensable and integral part of our lives. However, prolonged and extensive use of these non-degradable polymers obtained from the non-renewable fossil fuels has led to their accumulation into the environment causing a potential threat to lives. There is a hue and cry about the undesirable consequences of this single-use plastic that needs an immediate answer. The present work contributes to the understanding of conductive polymer composites (CPC) packaging films for electronic goods. The replacement of the polymers used in the packaging of electronic components with bio-based biodegradable polymer films has been attempted. The carbon black was incorporated at varying weight percentages (0.01 to 0.2 wt. %) in the guar gum and the final films were evaluated using FTIR, XRD, DSC and TGA. The electrical properties were evaluated in terms of quality factor, resistance and dissipation factor.