Synthesis and Characterization of Polyaniline and Polymethacrylate Copolymer Grafting Reaction to Improve the Processing Performance of Polyaniline

Polyaniline is a typical conductive polymer. Because of its low cost, good environmental stability, ease of synthesis, electrical activity and physical properties are simultaneously controlled by the oxidation and protonation states, it has received widespread attention. There is usually a highly developed p-conjugated system between the quinone imine and benzene amine structures. This leads to shortcomings such as insolubility of PANI in almost all organic solvents and inability to melt. Therefore, its processing ability is poor. Improving its mechanical properties has become a current research hotspot.

This study introduces a method of synthesizing polyaniline on polymethacrylic acid methyl anhydride copolymer to improve the processing ability of polyaniline. Under ultrasonic treatment, polyaniline was prepared by chemical synthesis. Then it is chemically grafted onto the polymethacrylic acid-based maleic anhydride copolymer to prepare a conductive comb copolymer. The graft copolymer was characterized and identified by FTIR image and SEM image. The analysis of its processing and mechanical properties shows that the properties of the graft copolymer have been improved.

Fig. 1 SEM images of PANI-g-PGMA-MAn weight ratio (a) 1:1 and (b) 2:1