Structural, spectral and thermal properties of bulky organic sulfonic acids doped polyanilines and antistatic performance of its melt blend

Abstract

Aniline has been polymerized in the presence of dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA), camphorsulfonic acid (CSA), ligninsulfonic acid (LSA) and cardanolazophenylsulfonic acid (CDSA) by emulsion route to form doped polyanilines (PANIs) designated as PDB, PCS, PLS and PCD, respectively. FTIR spectra and XRD patterns of samples confirm the formation of PANIs in doped emeraldine salt form. The UV-Visible spectra show that doping level increases in the order PCD < PLS < PCS < PDB which is in good agreement with electrical conductivity values. The TGA results show that all samples have thermal stability in excess of greater than 230°C which is more than the melt processing temperatures (T_p) of thermoplastics like low density polyethylene (LDPE, T_p~150-160°C) or polypropylene (PP, T_p~210-220°C), suggesting that these materials could be processed via melt blending route. It was observed that melt blended LDPE film containing 1.5 wt% PDB passes the antistatic criteria with static decay time <2 s.