Blends of polyaniline and engineering plastics

In this work we describe a method for obtaining blends of polyaniline with poly(ethylene terephthalate) and Noryl(R) by mechanical mixing to prepare processable conducting materials for large-scale utilization. Polyaniline was synthesized in a pilot plant scale and doped with p-toluene-sulphonic acid. Mixing doped polyaniline with poly(ethylene terephthalate) induces hydrolysis of the ester bonds and produces a hard and brittle material with conductivity of 10(-5) S cm(-1). The preparation of the blends with Noryl(R) was optimized using two types of factorial designs. The results indicated satisfactory values of conductivity, in the range of 10(-7) S cm(-1) for blends containing only 5% of polyaniline (v/v). Materials with conductivity in this range are used for the production of plastic parts which are able to dissipate electrostatic electricity. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.