FLEXIBLE, HIGHLY TRANSPARENT, AND CONDUCT POLYANILINE-CELLULOSE ACETATE COMPOSITE FILMS

Highly transparent and conductive polyaniline-cellulose acetate compos ite films were cast from m-cresol solutions of protonated polyaniline and cellulose acetate. The following polyaniline protonating agents we re used: camphor sulfonic acid, phenylphosphonic acid, dibutyl phospha te, and dioctyl phosphate. The films were plasticized with a mixture o f phthalic and phosphoric acid esters added to the solution used for t he casting. The addition of plasticizers not only improved the flexibi lity of the composite films but also significantly lowered the percola tion threshold, which is 0.05 wt % (expressed as emeraldine base) for phenylphosphonic acid protonated polyaniline in cellulose acetate matr ix. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.