Exfoliated Nanocomposite from Polyaniline Graft Copolymer/Clay

Exfoliated polyaniline (PANI)/clay nanocomposites were prepared by in-situ polymerization of aniline onto pre-exfoliated water-soluble poly(styrenesulfonic acid- co -aminostyrene) (P(SSA- co -AMS))/clay nanocomposite or by simple blending of poly(styrenesulfonic acid- g -aniline) (PSSA- g -PANI) with clay. When an aqueous mixture of P(SSA- co -AMS) and clay was treated with 1 M HCl (aq), clay layers are exfoliated into the polymer matrix due to the electrostatic interaction between the positive charge of nitrogen (NH 3 + ) in P(SSA- co -AMS) and the negatively charged surface of clay layers. The electrical conductivity of the nanocomposite is slightly lower than that of pure PSSA- g -PANI, but the thermal stability and coatability of the nanocomposite become better compared with PSSA- g -PANI.