Morphology and Thermal Stability of Electrically Conducting Nanocomposites Prepared by Sulfosalicylic Acid Micelles Assisted Polymerization of Aniline in Presence of ZrO2 Nanoparticles

Electrically conductive polyaniline (Pani)/zirconium oxide (ZrO2) nanocomposites were prepared by in-situ oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of sulfosalicylic acid (SSA), HCl and different amounts of ZrO2 nanoparticles. Pani/ZrO2 nanocomposites were characterized by Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The stability of the nanocomposites in terms of DC electrical conductivity retention was also studied in ambient atmosphere by isothermal ageing and cyclic ageing techniques. Pani/ZrO2 nanocomposites were observed to be more conducting than Pani but showed poorer stability in terms of DC electrical conductivity retention under ambient environmental conditions.