Shearing effects on the conducting polymer blends

Abstract

To obtain a highly conductive polyblend based on doped polyaniline, an zinc salt based conductive master batch material (MB-13) made from mixing zinc n-dodecylbenzene sulfonate (Zn (DBS)(2)) and n-dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (HDBSA) polyaniline (PANI(DBSA)(0.5)) together was compounded with PP in a melt-mixer varying the processing conditions. The SEM pictures show the morphologies of the polyblends were phase-separated into strips of elongated MB-13 for all samples. The elongation was first enhanced at shear rates ranged from 20 to 60 rpm. A shear rate of 60 rpm at 180 degrees C can elongate the conductive master batch phases (filler) to obtain both the highest aspect ratio and least resistance by keeping the secondary dopants of Zn (DBS)(2) stay within MB-13 from losing its conductivity and deformability.