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Abstract: The effect of ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) as surface modifier and polyaniline (PAni) into poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC)/poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) blends was studied. PVC/PEO conductive films with 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 wt % of PAni were prepared using solution casting technique. The addition of EDMA showed higher electrical properties, tensile strength and modulus of elasticity for all compositions of PVC/PEO conductive films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results show that the addition of EDMA in conductive films gives good fillers dispersion in the PVC/PEO/PANI conductive films.
Keywords: Poly (vinyl chloride), poly (ethylene oxide), polyaniline, ethylene dimethacrylate, conductive films
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1.INTRODUCTION
Intrinsically conducting polymers (ICPs) receive great attention worldwide thanks to their novel electronic and electrical properties. They offer very exciting electrical, magnetic and optical properties which can be used to develop scientific knowledge and technological applications. Despite these attractive potentials, poor mechanical properties and processing difficulties have hindered their commercial use.1 Numerous techniques have been developed to overcome these limitations in the past three decades. One of the most successful methods is the coating of conducting polymers such as polyaniline (PAni) or polypyrrole (PPy) onto filler surfaces. ICP-coated fillers can be normally prepared through the in situ oxidative polymerisation of aniline or pyrrol in the existence of a suitable filler using an appropriate oxidant2 or an electrochemical technique.3
Polymer blending is a great technique for designing materials with variety of properties. Compounding of conductive particles with nonconductive polymer is the most commonly used method for making conductive polymer composites. Normally, polymers are easily mixed with conductive fillers to form compounds with various properties and shapes. In this study, poly (vinyl chloride)/poly (ethylene oxide) (PVC/PEO) blends was incorporated with PAni. The PVC/PEO blend was prepared by solution casting technique which is low in cost and easy to process.
PAni shows good electrical, chemical and optical properties, which are associated with its conducting and insulating forms. However, two major limitations of polyaniline are its poor mechanical properties and the inability to process it by conventional methods. These drawbacks can be overcome by preparing polyaniline blends and composites which have the mechanical properties of the matrix and the electrical properties of the conducting polyaniline. Note that if the host is a polymer,...