Characterization of Polyvinyl Alcohol-Polyaniline Blend Films

In this study a solution-blend method is adopted to prepare conductive polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyaniline doped with dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid (PVA/PANI-DBSA) blend films. Emeraldine base (EB)-type polyaniline (PANI) is dissolved in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) and then blended with PVA/dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) solution by various amounts. The morphological structures and characterized of the films were observed via scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). Electrical properties of the blends were characterized by means of electrical conductivity measurements. It is found that the electrical conductivity and the thermal degradation onset temperature of the PVA/PANI-DBSA blend film are increased as the amount of PANI-DBSA is increased.