Development of a theoretical model for estimating the electrical conductivity of a polymeric system reinforced with silver nanowires applicable for the biosensing of breast cancer cells

A theoretical model is proposed for predicting the electrical conductivity for polymer samples containing silver nanowires (AgNWs). The advanced model reflects the roles of interphase and tunneling regions, waviness and dimension of AgNWs in the percolation inception, network size and conductivity of a sample. Some experimented data from various samples are used to check the validity of this model. The conductivity calculations suggested by this model present the proper accord with the measured data. Furthermore, the effects of different parameters on electrical conductivity are investigated by this model. Thinner and longer nanowires and no waviness produce the large network and low percolation inception, which significantly enhance the nanocomposite's conductivity. In addition, thicker interphase causes a higher conductivity by participating in the creation of networks. The proposed model is useful for estimating the electrical conductivity of polymer nanocomposites in future researches. The developed model can be used to optimize the performance of biosensors detecting the breast cancer cells.