Mechanical properties and conductivity of polyaniline-cellulose-latex hybrid

Composite films of polyaniline (PANI)-cellulose and prevulcanised latex (PVL) were prepared and studied extensively to understand the impact on mechanical properties and conductivity. PANI promotes conductive properties in any host matrix to form blends or composites. Usage of cellulose was intended to supplement the poor mechanical properties showed by PANI and further improve composite films. Alpha cellulose (AC) and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) were applied to elucidate the significant effect of different particle size of celluloses. PANI-AC and PANI-MCC templates were synthesized through chemical oxidative polymerization with sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) as surfactant and mixed with PVL in different concentrations. Films were obtained by casting method and characterized by FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared), TGA (Thermogravimetric Analysis) and tensile test. The results revealed that these templates improved the mechanical performance of PVL at 3 g and 5 g loading but further increase the loading led to a declining trend. The TGA revealed that increasing the amount of PANI-AC and PANI-MCC loading in PVL resulted in improved conductivity.