Comparative study on doping of polyaniline with graphene and multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Abstract

This study reported the doping of polyaniline (PANI) with graphene (G) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by in situ polymerization. The molecular structure of PANI and its composites was observed by FTIR, which shows that the intensity of composites peaks are higher than pure PANI due to charge transfer between the PANI and graphitic allotropes. The structural information and crystallinity of PANI and its composites can be deduced from X-ray diffraction. The morphological characterization was observed by transmission electron microscope, which elucidated that aniline molecules were physically adsorbed and polymerized on the surface of graphene and MWCNTs due to π–π* electron interaction. PANI represents as an external layer of composites with several diameters depending on the PANI deposition degree, where the cores are G and MWCNTs. The conductivity measurement clarified the conductivity value of 0.1 wt% G in PANI matrix is higher 17 times than PANI without it.