Author : Estabraq T. Abdullah, Salma M. Hassan and Reem S. Ahmed

Conducting polyaniline (PANI) composites containing various concentrations of carboxylic acid functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNT) were synthesized by in situ polymerization of aniline monomer. The morphological, structural and electrical properties of neat PANI and MWCNT–PANI nanocomposites were studied by using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform- infrared spectroscopy (FT–IR), and the four-point probe technique, respectively. FTIR spectra indicates that the carboxylic acid groups formed at the both ends of the sidewalls of the MWCNTs. The aniline molecules were polymerized on the surface of MWCNTs, depending on the -pi-pi* electron interaction between aniline monomers and MWCNTs and hydrogen bonding into interaction between the amino groups of aniline monomers and carboxylic acid group of f-MWCNT. X-ray result shows that CNTs were well dispersed in polymer matrix. AFM shows the increasing of surface roughness of the f-MWCNT and its addition to the PANI/MWCNTs composite. The electrical conductivity of the PANI-MWCNT composites was higher than neat-PANI increased by increasing the amount of MWCNT to the composite.

Keywords: PANI, MWCNTs, electrical properties.

Article published in International Journal of Current Engineering and Technology, Vol.6, No.2 (April-2016)