Polyaniline (PANI) was synthesized through an in situ oxidative polymerization method deposited onto a porous ceramic support composed of Algerian kaolin (DD1) containing 60% ammonium carbonate and calcined at 1200°C by using a vacuum-assisted deposition process to obtain uniform coverage of PANI over the porous ceramic surfaces and to increase interfacial adhesion between the two materials. The impact of aniline concentration (0.1–0.5 M) on electrical conductivity was investigated, as well as the function of ammonium carbonate as a pore-forming agent to enhance permeability. The samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric/differential scanning calorimetry (TG/DSC) including electrical, mechanical, and flux analyses. The results showed the formation of stable crystalline phases, such as mullite and cristobalite and confirmed the presence of a uniformly distributed Polyaniline (PANI). The highest electrical conductivity recorded was 0.3795 S/cm at a concentration of 0.4 M aniline. In addition, an observed increase in porosity led to a reduction in mechanical properties, with tensile and flexural strengths decreased from 14 and 38 MPa to 11 and 31 MPa, flux increased from 3011 to 10 206 L m–2 h–1 under 0.3–0.8 bar, with a heavy metal removal efficiency of up to 31.95%.
Boughezala et al. (Wed,) studied this question.