Electrical properties and EMI shielding behavior of highly thermally stable polyaniline/colloidal graphite composites

A hybrid approach has been adopted by using a combination of colloidal graphite (CG) as a conducting filler, 5‐lithium sulfoisophthalic (LiSIPA) acid as a dopant, and polyaniline (PANI) as a matrix to prepare LiSIPA doped PANI–CG composites. The thermal stability (～300°C) and electrical conductivity (67.4 S/cm at 17.4% CG content) have been improved significantly as compared to PANI doped with conventional inorganic dopants like HCl or H₂SO₄ (130–150°C). The maximum shielding effectiveness value was found to be ?39.7 dB. X‐ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy showed a systematic shifting of the characteristic peaks and bands with increase in the amount of CG, which indicates significant interaction exists between CG and PANI. The UV–Vis spectra showed the characteristic bands of PANI, with a shift to shorter wavelength with increase in the CG content. The interaction mechanism between doped PANI and CG in the resultant composites has been proposed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.