Pressure-sensitive conductive elastomer compound
AssigneeNitta Industries Corporation
InventorsMitsuo Takaya, Kiyotaka Inoue, Katsumi Higuchi
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Abstract
The invention relates to a pressure-sensitive conductive elastomer compound which exhibits high resistance (insulating performance) when it is in non-pressed condition and the resistance of which, as the compound is pressed, varies according to the magnitude of the pressure. The compound comprises a matrix material having insulating and elastomeric properties and baked and carbonized conductive spherical particles of a macromolecular material incorporated and dispersed into the matrix material. The conductivity of the conductive particles varies according to the degree of their carbonization.
Claims9
A method of manufacturing a pressure-sensitive electrically conductive elastomer compound whose electrical conductivity varies with pressure applied to said elastomer compound comprising the steps of:
- forming electrically conductive spherical particles by the steps of:
- chemically pulverizing or suspension polymerizing a macromolecular material into spherical particles of 30-120 microns in diameter;
- and
- baking said spherical particles in an inert gas to at least partially carbonize said particles at a temperature from 600.degree.-1000.degree. C.;
- and
- mixing said conductive particles into a matrix material having insulating and elastomeric properties, the proportion of said conductive particles relative to the entire compound being in the range of 20 to 60% by volume.
A pressure-sensitive electrically conductive elastomer compound whose electrical conductivity varies with pressure applied to the elastomer compound comprising a matrix material having insulating and elastomeric properties and conductive particles incorporated and dispersed into the matrix material, said conductive particles being formed by chemically pulverizing or suspension polymerizing a macromolecular material into spherical particles and thereafter baking and carbonizing said spherical particles at a temperature from 600.degree.-1000.degree. C., the diameter of said conductive particles being 30-120 microns and the proportion of said conductive particles relative to the entire compound being 20-60% by volume.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.