INTERACTION OF COMPONENTS AND CONDUCTIVITY IN POLYANILINE - POLYMETHYLMETHACRYLATE NANOCOMPOSITES

Polymer nanocomposites of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with the conducting polymer - polyaniline (PANI) were prepared by blending polymer solutions in a mixed organic solvent. It is found that electrical conductivity of PMMA-PANI composites depends on the PANI volume content with an extremely low "percolation threshold" near the 1.0% of the PANI. In the concentration interval of 2-10 vol.% of PANI a specific conductivity exceeding one for acid doped PANI is observed in PMMA-PANI composites. Introducing a conducting polymer into a dielectric PMMA matrix slightly decreases the glass transition temperature, causing the flow temperature to rise significantly. It has been suggested that the increasing conductivity in PMMA-PANI composites is caused by an interaction of PANI nitrogen atoms with the functional groups of PMMA leading to additional doping of PANI.