A NEW ROUTE TO POLYANILINE COMPOSITES

A novel route to preparation of polyaniline (PANI) composites based on mixing of a solution of host polymer with preliminarily formed colloi dal PANI dispersion of very fine particles (lower limit ca 5 nm) is re ported. This colloidal PANI dispersion was formed by oxidative polymer ization of aniline (ANI) in the presence of dodecylbenzenesulfonic aci d in aqueous medium, and can be dried and redispersed in an organic so lvent, enabling composites of PANI with water-soluble and water-insolu ble polymers to be prepared. Besides its simplicity, this route reveal s the possibility of easily controlling the design of composites (part icle size and particle size distribution). The polymer composites PANI -poly(vinyl alcohol), thus prepared, combined high electrical conducti vity (up to 2-3 S cm(-1)) and transparency (between 20 and 50% at film thickness 50 mu m) even in a non-oriented state. (C) 1997 Elsevier Sc ience Ltd.