Studies on conducting polymers and their nanocomposites Morphological Mechanical Electrical and Optical properties

Abstract

newline Conductive polymer nanocomposites have attracted strong scientific and technological newlineinterest in recent years. It has shown great promise in many applications, such as newlineelectronics, energy storage and conversion (e.g. supercapacitors, batteries, fuel cells, newlinesolar cells, and bioscience/biotechnologies). Conductive polymer nanocomposites, a newlinepolymeric material can be made electrically conductive by randomly dispersing an newlineelectrically conductive filler phase. The filler size, shape and amount of filler material newlineinfluence the observed electrical properties of the macroscopic composite. Generally, it newlineis advantageous to have a filler particle with a small size, a high aspect ratio shape and in newlinesufficient quantity; such a combination provides the maximum electrical conductivity. newlineIn this research work, the aim and objective of the thesis is to prepare and characterize newlineconducting polymer and its nanocomposites using Polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole newline(PPY), functionalized Multi-walled carbon nanotube (f-MWCNT), chloroaniline (PCA) newlineand Montmorillonite (MMT) with chitosan (CS) and study its morphological, newlinemechanical, electrical properties of the nanocomposites. CS base nanocomposite films newlinehave been prepared using the solution casting method. These nanocomposite films were newlinecharacterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) newlinespectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy newline(TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) newlinefor investigating their electrical properties. newlineIn our first investigation, Chitosan was blended with MMT. This product was newlinesubsequently dispersed in chitosan and covalently blended to form CS-MMT. CS-MMT newlinewas further cross-linked onto PANI by free radical polymerization conditions, to yield newlineCS-MMT-PANI for our investigations. The structure of CS-MMT-PANI composites was newlinecharacterized by XRD, FTIR spectroscopy, XRD, SEM, TEM, TGA, and DSC newlinemeasurements suggested the strong crystalline character of the prepared sample. It was newlinefound that conductivity was lowest for MMT-PANI and highest for CS-PANI. It was newlineincreased slowly for up to 8% PANI content but increased rapidly after 1wt% PANI newlinecontent. The lowest conductivity obtained for CS-MMT-PANI. This represents a newlinevi newlinedecrease of conductivity nearly twenty times of magnitude as compared with CS-PANI, newlinewhich may be attributed to the synergistic effect between PANI and CS in forming an newlineinterpenetrating conductive network. Experimental results suggested that newlinenanocomposites could be used in industrial applications. newlineIn another study, Chitosan was blended with PVA and MMT. This product was