Electrical conductance of two-dimensional composites with embedded rodlike fillers: an analytical consideration and comparison of two computational approaches

Abstract

Using Monte Carlo simulation, we studied the electrical conductance of two-dimensional films. The films consisted of a poorly conductive host matrix and highly conductive rodlike fillers (rods). The rods were of various lengths, obeying a log-normal distribution. They were allowed to be aligned along a given direction. The impacts of length dispersity and the extent of rod alignment on the insulator-to-conductor phase transition were studied. Two alternative computational approaches were compared. Within Model I, the films were transformed into resistor networks with regular structures and randomly distributed conductances. Within Model II, the films were transformed into resistor networks with irregular structures but with equal conductivities of the conductors. Comparison of the models evidenced similar behavior in both models when the concentration of fillers exceeded the percolation threshold. Some analytical results were obtained: (i) the relationship between the number of fillers per unit area and the transmittance of the film within Model I, (ii) the electrical conductance of the film for dense networks within Model II.