Preparation and characterization of polyaniline/MMT conductive composites

Polyaniline/montmorillonite (PAn/MMT) composite material has been prepared through chemical‐oxidative polymerization by using NH₄S₂O₈ as the oxidant, and it was found that both the composites have inorganic and organic material characteristics and many outstanding performance through the copolymerization coupling of MMT and polyaniline. Infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are used to characterize the composition and structures of composite materials, as well as test the conductivity of composite materials through a four‐probe technique. The preparation conditions of PAn/MMT conducting composites are optimized. The optimal conditions have been identified for the reaction time, amount of oxidizer, concentration of HCl, and the amount of MMT. Besides, the results show that when the reaction lasts for 8 hr in the ice bath, the amount of MMT is 0.4 g/5 ml An, the mole ratio of oxidant to aniline is 1, and the concentration of hydrochloric acid is 2 M, the composite had the largest conductivity up to 11.5 S/cm. In addition, we also did an elemental analysis of the composite mechanism of PAn/MMT composites. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.