Synthesis, characterization and thermal analysis of polyaniline/ZrO2 composites

Conducting polyaniline-zirconium dioxide (PANI/ZrO₂) composites were synthesized by ‘in situ’ deposition technique in the presence of hydrochloric acid (HCl) as dopant by adding the fine grade powder (average particle size of approximately 20 nm) of ZrO₂ into the polymerization reaction mixture of aniline. The composites obtained were characterized by infrared spectra (IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). TG curves and DTG curves of the composites suggest that the thermal degradation process of PANI/ZrO₂ composites proceeds in two-steps and the composites are more thermally stable than that of the pure PANI. The improvement in the thermal stability for the composites is attributed to the interaction between PANI and ZrO₂, which restricts the thermal motion of PANI chains and shields the degradation of PANI in the composites.