  Following the lack of microscopic information about the intriguing well-known
electrical-thermal switching mechanism in Carbon Black-Polymer composites, we
applied atomic force microscopy in order to reveal the local nature of the
process and correlated it with the characteristics of the widely used
commercial switches. We conclude that the switching events take place in
critical interparticle tunneling junctions that carry most of the current. The
macroscopic switched state is then a result of a dynamic-stationary state of
fast switching and slow reconnection of the corresponding junctions.
