Electrical conductivity and thermal stability of polyaniline and water-soluble polymer nanocomposites

Electrically conductive composites with film-forming properties based on polyaniline (PANI), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and polymethacrylic acid (PMAA) were obtained. The composites were synthesized mechanochemically by mixing calculated amounts of PANI and PVA or PMAA. The electrical conductivity increases with an increase in the content of the conductive component in the composite up to a PANI–PVA ratio of 50 to 50. Further increase of PVA in the composite leads to a decrease in the specific electrical conductivity. Similar patterns are observed for PANI–PMAA composites. The study of the effect of temperature on the electrical conductivity of composites made it possible to determine the activation energy of charge transfer (Ea). The numerical values of Ea lie in the range of 0.371 to 0.981 eV and depend on the ratio of PANI–PVA and PANI–PMAA polymers in the composites. The thermal decomposition of composites and starting components is complex. Several areas are observed on the mass change curves, which indicate a multi-stage thermal decomposition process.