Preparation and characterization of electrically conductive composites of poly(vinyl alcohol)-g-poly(acrylic acid) hydrogels impregnated with polyaniline (PANI)

Novel electrically conducting composite materials consisting of poly(aniline) (PANI) nanoparticles dispersed in a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-g-poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) hydrogels were prepared within the polymer matrix by in situ polymerization of aniline. The conversion yield of aniline into PANI particles was determined gravimetrically while structural confirmation of the synthesized polymer was sought by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), UV-visible analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. Morphology and dimension of PANI particles embedded into the colored optically semi-transparent hydrogels were evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis. Electrical conductivity of composite hydrogels of different composition was determined by LCR meter while electroactive behavior of composite hydrogels swollen in electrolyte solution was investigated by Effective Bend Angle (EBA) measurements.