Polymerization of aniline with modified montmorillonite clay and evaluation of the conductivity of the nanocomposite produced

Abstract

The work describes the synthesis of polyaniline/organophilic montmorillonite nanocomposites by in situ polymerization, in order to demonstrate it`s effect on the conductive properties of the polymer. Initially, the commercial montmorillonite clay K10 (MMT-K10) was subjected to the organophilization treatment through the use of the hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide salt (CH3(CH2)15N(Br)(CH3)3). Polymerization of the aniline occurred through the emulsion polymerization together with the organophilic clay. The materials were characterized through the techniques of infrared absorption spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy (UV-VIS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Through the FTIR and XRD technique it was possible to identify the organophilization of the clay, and through FTIR and UV-VIS, the polymerization of the aniline in the emeraldine salt state was identified, forming the nanocomposite. The results show the formation of the nanocomposite and the influence of the modified clay, mainly, in the reduction of the conductivity of the polyaniline. It is concluded that the loss of conductivity was irrelevant and that depending on the type of material developed, fibers or films, for example, we can obtain a nanocomposite based on polymer and clay with higher conductivity.