Dielectric study of polyaniline/poly (methylmethacrylate) composite films below the percolation threshold

We report results of dielectric relaxation studies of polyaniline/poly(methylmethacrylate) composites with polyaniline amount less than the percolation threshold in the frequency range of 0.1 Hz to 1 MHz and temperature range of 10 degrees C-170 degrees C. We find a significant dependence of the glass transition temperature Tg on the polyaniline amount in the composite. alpha and beta relaxation processes relative to the PMMA matrix are also affected by the presence of polyaniline inclusion. We identify a relaxation process due to ionic conductivity and another process attributed to residual solvent. The characteristic relaxation frequency of each process and the activation energy depend on the polyaniline amount in the composite. The ac conductivity in the high frequency range is fitted to the universal power law of Jonscher characteristic of disordered materials. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.