Development of polyaniline/zinc oxide nanocomposite impregnated fabric as an electrostatic charge dissipative material

The paper presents the electrostatic charge dissipative performance of conducting polymer nanocomposite impregnated fabric based on polyaniline (PANI) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). Conducting polymer nanocomposites (PANI‐ZnO NPs) were synthesized by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline by using sodium dodecyl sulfate as surfactant and HCl as dopant. Coating of PANI‐ZnO nanocomposites on the cotton fabric was carried out during polymerization. The interaction of ZnO NPs with the PANI matrix was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), TGA, XRD, scanning electron Microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and conductivity measurements. The conductivity of PANI‐ZnO NP coated fabric was found to be in the range 10^?3 ? 10^?6 S cm^?1 depending on the loading concentration of ZnO NPs in the polymer matrix. TEM and HRTEM images showed that the PANI‐ZnO nanocomposites had an average diameter of 25–30 nm and were nicely dispersed in the polymer matrix. Antistatic performance of the nanocomposite impregnated fabric was investigated by static decay meter and John Chubb instrument. The static decay time of the film was in the range 0.5 ? 3.4 s on recording the decay time from 5000 V to 500 V. This indicated that the nanocomposite based on PANI‐ZnO nanocomposites has great potential to be used as an effective antistatic material. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry     

Doping effects of cerium ion on structure and electrochemical properties of polyaniline

Polyaniline (PANI)/Ce³⁺ and PANI/Ce⁴⁺ composites were successfully prepared by in situ polymerization in an aqueous solution of poly(2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropane sulfonic acid) and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, SEM, TEM and electrochemical methods. The results showed that the PANI/Ce ion composites had a high degree of sphericity, high electrical conductivity and good electrochemical performance. The conductivity of PANI/Ce(NO₃)₃ reaches a maximum of 46.76 S cm^?1 at 20 wt% of Ce(NO₃)₃. It is increased by 377% by comparison with that of pure PANI. In particular, the polarization results showed that the corrosion current density (0.47 µA cm^?2) and the inhibition efficiency (97%) of PANI/Ce(NO₃)₃ were better than the results for PANI and PANI/Ce(SO₄)₂ composite. This suggested that the PANI/Ce(NO₃)₃ composite has promising applications in conductive materials, anticorrosion coatings and other related fields. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry     

Conducting composites of poly(N‐vinylcarbazole), polypyrrole,and polyaniline with 13X‐zeolite

N‐vinylcarbazole (NVC) was polymerized by 13X zeolite alone in melt (65°C) or in toluene (110°C) and a poly(N‐vinylcarbazole) (PNVC)‐13X composite was isolated. Composites of polypyrrole (PPY) and polyaniline(PANI) with 13X zeolite were prepared via polymerization of the respective monomers in the presence of dispersion of 13X zeolite in water (CuCl₂ oxidant) and in CHCl₃ (FeCl₃ oxidant) at an ambient temperature. The composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared analyses. Scanning electron microscopic analyses of various composites indicated the formation of lumpy aggregates of irregular sizes distinct from the morphology of unmodified 13X zeolite. X‐ray diffraction analysis revealed some typical differences between the various composites, depending upon the nature of the polymer incorporated. Thermogravimetric analyses revealed the stability order as: 13X‐zeolite > polymer‐13X‐zeolite > polymer. PNVC‐13X composite was essentially a nonconductor, while PPY‐13X and PANI‐13X composites showed direct current conductivity in the order of 10^?4 S/cm in either system. However, the conductivity of PNVC‐ 13X composite could be improved to 10^?5 and 10^?6 S/cm by loading PPY and PANI, respectively. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 913–921, 2006     

Synthesis of conducting polyaniline/TiO2 composite nanofibres by one‐step in situ polymerization method

Conducting polyaniline (PANI)/titanium dioxide (TiO₂) composite nanofibres with an average diameter of 80–100 nm were prepared by one‐step in situ polymerization method in the presence of anatase nano‐TiO₂ particles, and were characterized via Fourier‐transform infrared spectra, UV/vis spectra, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and transmission electron microscopy, as well as conductivity and cyclic voltammetry. The formation mechanism of PANI/TiO₂ composite nanofibres was also discussed. This composite contained ～ 65% conducting PANI by mass, with a conductivity of 1.42 S cm^?1 at 25°C, and the conductivity of control PANI was 2.4 S cm^?1 at 25°C. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Preparation and evaluation of a nanocomposite of polythiophene with Al2O3

The polymerization of thiophene (TP), in bulk and in solution in CHCl₃ by FeCl₃ resulted in the formation of a polymer which was characterized by FTIR as polythiophene (PTP). High yield was realized in the latter case. The polymerization of TP with FeCl₃ and nanodimensional Al₂O₃ resulted in the formation of a nanocomposite which was partly dispersible in aqueous and non‐aqueous media. The dispersibility appeared to be higher when the polymerization was conducted in a suspension containing a higher amount of Al₂O₃. Scanning electron micrographs showed globular particles and the presence of clusters of composite particles. Transmission electron micrographic (TEM) analyses revealed the particle size of the composite to be in the range 22–74 nm. Thermal analyses (TG/DTA) revealed the outstanding stability of PTP–Al₂O₃ composites compared to that of PTP. The conductivity of PTP and of PTP–Al₂O₃ composite was of the order of 10^?3 S cm^?1 for samples doped with I₂. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Influence of pH on the specific surface area of polyaniline matrices

We report the successful measurement of the specific surface area of chemically synthesized and treated polyaniline (PANI) and its composite PANI/silica (SiO₂). PANI was synthesized chemically from an aqueous solution of aniline and hydrochloric acid (HCl) in the presence of an oxidant, ammonium peroxydisulfate [(NH₄)₂S₂O₈]. In the synthesis of PANI/SiO₂, SiO₂ was incorporated from its colloidal solution contained in the solution for the polymerization of PANI. PANI and PANI/SiO₂ thus synthesized were pretreated with double‐distilled water (pH = 6.95), aqueous HCl (pH = 1.09), and aqueous ammonia (pH = 10.15) solutions to control their pH levels. Surface morphologies of the treated PANI and PANI/SiO₂ matrices were investigated with scanning electron microscopy. The successful incorporation of SiO₂ into the PANI/SiO₂ composite was confirmed by the characteristic infrared absorption band at 1096 cm^?1. The adsorption of methylene blue, which was found to follow the Langmuir isotherm, onto the prepared materials was probed to estimate the real surface area. The base‐treated PANI matrix showed a higher surface area than the acidic and neutral ones. The incorporation of SiO₂ into the PANI matrix yielded a larger surface area. However, the treated PANI/SiO₂ showed the same trend as the treated PANI matrices. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Novel electrically conductive and ferromagnetic composites of poly(aniline‐co‐aminonaphthalenesulfonic acid) with iron oxide nanoparticles: Synthesis and characterization

Nanocomposites of iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) with a sulfonated polyaniline, poly(aniline‐co‐aminonaphthalenesulfonic acid) [SPAN(ANSA)], were synthesized through chemical oxidative copolymerization of aniline and 5‐amino‐2‐naphthalenesulfonic acid/1‐amino‐5‐naphthalenesulfonic acid in the presence of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. The nanocomposites [Fe₃O₄/SPAN(ANSA)‐NCs] were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, elemental analysis, UV–visible spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), superconductor quantum interference device (SQUID), and electrical conductivity measurements. The TEM images reveal that nanocrystalline Fe₃O₄ particles were homogeneously incorporated within the polymer matrix with the sizes in the range of 10–15 nm. XRD pattern reveals that pure Fe₃O₄ particles are having spinel structure, and nanocomposites are more crystalline in comparison to pristine polymers. Differential thermogravimetric (DTG) curves obtained through TGA informs that polymer chains in the composites have better thermal stability than that of the pristine copolymers. FTIR spectra provide information on the structure of the composites. The conductivity of the nanocomposites (～ 0.5 S cm^?1) is higher than that of pristine PANI (～ 10^?3 S cm^?1). The charge transport behavior of the composites is explained through temperature difference of conductivity. The temperature dependence of conductivity fits with the quasi‐1D variable range hopping (quasi‐1D VRH) model. SQUID analysis reveals that the composites show ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature. The maximum saturation magnetization of the composite is 9.7 emu g^?1. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007     

Polymerization of pyrrole by isopolymetallates of vanadium/molybdenum and preparation of a polypyrrole–molybdenum blues nanocomposite

Oxidative polymerization of pyrrole (PY) was achieved in high yield (>90 %) by adding the monomer directly to isopolyvanadate (IPV) and isopolymolybdate (IPMo) solutions at selected pH. In the case of the IPV solution instantaneous precipitation of a black mass was obtained while in the IPMo solution in situ precipitation of polypyrrole (PPY) onto molybdenum blues (MB) formed through reduction of IPMo by PY resulting in a PPY‐encapsulated MB nanocomposite (PPY–MB). Formation of PPY was confirmed from Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) and thermogravimetric (TG) analyses. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) photographs for the composite revealed the formation of spherical particles of average size ≈75 nm. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses showed the distinctive morphological patterns for PPY and PPY–MB composite. The direct current conductivity values for PPY prepared by IPV, IPMo and PPY–MB were of the order of 10^?2, 10^?4 and 10^?6 S cm^?1, respectively. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and characterization of core‐shell SiO2 nanoparticles/poly(3‐aminophenylboronic acid) composites

SiO₂/Poly(3‐aminophenylboronic acid) (PAPBA) composites were synthesized under different experimental conditions, using ultrasonic irradiation method. Polymerization was carried out in the presence of sodium fluoride and D ‐fructose to anchor 3‐aminophenylboronic acid groups on to SiO₂ surface. The SiO₂/PAPBA nanocomposite prepared by NaF and D ‐fructose in the polymerization medium was found to show different morphology, electrical properties, thermal behavior and structural characterization in comparison to the nanocomposites prepared under other conditions. Ultrasonic irradiation minimizes the aggregation of nanosilica and promotes anchoring of PAPBA units over SiO₂ surface. The morphology of PAPBA/ SiO₂ nanocomposite was investigated by using transmission electron microscopy, UV‐visible spectroscopy; thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction analysis were used for characterization. Transmission electron microscope of the nanocomposites observation shows that SiO₂/PAPBA composite, prepared with D ‐fructose and NaF under ultrasonication has a core–shell morphology. The thermal and crystalline properties of core‐shell SiO₂/PAPBA nanocomposite was prepared via ultrasonication method is different from the SiO₂/PAPBA nanocomposite prepared via conventional stirring method, in which SiO₂ nanoparticles are submerged in PAPBA. Conductivity of the composite prepared via ultrasonication shows around 0.2 S/cm. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 2743–2750, 2007     

Fumed SiO2 nanoparticle reinforced biopolymer blend nanocomposites with high dielectric constant and low dielectric loss for flexible organic electronics

In the present study, fumed silica (SiO₂) nanoparticle reinforced poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) blend nanocomposite films were prepared via a simple solution‐blending technique. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to elucidate the successful incorporation of SiO₂ nanoparticles in the PVA/PVP blend matrix. A thermogravimetric analyzer was used to evaluate the thermal stability of the nanocomposites. The dielectric properties such as dielectric constant (?) and dielectric loss (tan δ) of the PVA/PVP/SiO₂ nanocomposite films were evaluated in the broadband frequency range of 10^?2 Hz to 20 MHz and for temperatures in the range 40–150 °C. The FTIR and UV–vis spectroscopy results implied the presence of hydrogen bonding interaction between SiO₂ and the PVA/PVP blend matrix. The XRD and SEM results revealed that SiO₂ nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed in the PVA/PVP blend matrix. The dielectric property analysis revealed that the dielectric constant values of the nanocomposites are higher than those of PVA/PVP blends. The maximum dielectric constant and the dielectric loss were 125 (10^?2 Hz, 150 °C) and 1.1 (10^?2 Hz, 70 °C), respectively, for PVA/PVP/SiO₂ nanocomposites with 25 wt % SiO₂ content. These results enable the preparation of dielectric nanocomposites using a facile solution‐casting method that exhibit the desirable dielectric performance for flexible organic electronics. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 44427.     

Multifunctional polyaniline–tin oxide (PANI–SnO2) nanocomposite: Synthesis,electrochemical, and field emission investigations

Synthesis of PANI–SnO₂ nanocomposite has been performed using a simple two step chemical oxidative polymerization route. The structural, morphological and chemical properties of the as‐synthesized PANI–SnO₂ nanocomposite have been revealed by various characterization techniques such as SEM, TEM, XRD, FTIR, and XPS. Interestingly the as‐synthesized PANI–SnO₂ nanocomposite exhibits supercapacitance value of 721 F g^?1 with energy density 64 Wh kg^?1, which is noticed to be higher than that of pristine SnO₂ and PANI nanostructures. Furthermore, the galvanostatic charge–discharge characteristics revealed pseudocapacitive nature of the PANI–SnO₂ nanocomposite. The estimated values of charge transfer resistance and series resistance estimated from the Nyquist plot are found to be lower. Along with the supercapacitive nature, PANI–SnO₂ nanocomposite showed promising field emission behavior. The threshold field, required to draw emission current density of 1 μA/cm², is observed to be 0.90 V/μm and emission current density of 1.2 mA/cm² has been drawn at applied field of ～2.6 V/μm. The emission current stability investigated at preset values of 0.02 and 0.1 mA/cm² is observed to be fairly stable over duration of more than 3 h. The enhanced supercapacitance values, as well as, the promising field emission characteristics are attributed to the synergic effect of SnO₂ nanoparticles and PANI nanotubes. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41401.     

Synthesis and characterization of a conducting polyaniline/TiO2−SiO2 composites

Polyaniline/TiO₂?SiO₂ composites were prepared by an in situ chemical oxidation polymerization approach in the presence of hybrid TiO₂?SiO₂ fillers. The obtained polyaniline/TiO₂?SiO₂ composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG), and current?voltage (I?V) measurements. SEM picture shows a variation in morphology of polyaniline (PANI) from fiber shape to relatively regular particle shape with increasing TiO₂?SiO₂ contents in the composites. The floccule‐like structures were observed by high resolution TEM, which may help improve the efficiency of conductive network. SEM, XRD, TG, and FTIR spectra all reveal that a relatively strong interaction exist between TiO₂?SiO₂ and PANI. The I?V characteristics in such composites indicate that the charge transport is mainly governed by the space charge effects, which occurs at the interface between the conducting PANI and TiO₂?SiO₂. Meanwhile, PANI/TiO₂?SiO₂ composites exhibit significant increase in conductivity than PANI/TiO₂ or PANI/SiO₂. The reasons about high conductivity of PANI/TiO₂?SiO₂ have also been discussed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 2288–2295, 2013     

Synthesis and characterization of composites of polyaniline and polyurethane‐modified epoxy

A toughened, semiconductive polyaniline/polyurethane (PANI/PU)‐epoxy nanocomposite was prepared using a conductive polymer, PANI, and a PU prepolymer‐modified diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy. The formation of a nanostructure was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and SEM. The mechanical properties of the composites were evaluated and compared with those of the corresponding matrix. The improvement in impact strength of the composites (especially in the PANI/PU(PPG2000)‐epoxy system) was explained after fracture surface analysis using SEM. DSC and TGA studies indicated that the thermal properties of these composites were comparable to those of DGEBA epoxy. A conductivity in the range 10^?9–10^?3 S cm^?1 was obtained, depending on the testing frequency (10³–10⁷ Hz) and the PANI content incorporated. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Polyaniline–organoclay nanocomposites as curing agent for epoxy: Preparation and characterization

Polyaniline (PANI)–organoclay/Epoxy (EP) nanocomposites were prepared. PANI–organoclay nanocomposites were used as curing agent for EP. Organoclay was prepared by an ion exchange process between sodium cations in MMT and NH₃⁺ groups in polyoxypropylene (D₂₃₀). PANI–organoclay nanocomposite was synthesized by in situ polymerization of aniline in (14 wt%) organoclay. Infrared spectra and differential scanning calorimetry confirm the curing of EP. The absence of d₀₀₁ diffraction band of organoclay in the nanocomposites was observed by X‐ray diffraction. The structure argument was further supported by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Electrical conductivity of the nanocomposites within the range 2.1 × 10⁻⁷–3.2 × 10⁻⁷ S/cm depending on the concentration of the PANI/D₂₃₀‐MMT. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Ferromagnetic polyaniline/TiO2 nanocomposites

Novel ferromagnetic semiconducting polyaniline PANI/TiO₂ nanocomposites were synthesized by the oxidative polymerization of aniline with ammonium peroxydisulfate in an aqueous medium, in the presence of colloidal TiO₂ nanoparticles (d ∼ 4.5 nm), without added acid. The morphological, magnetic, structural, and optical properties of the PANI/TiO₂ nanocomposites prepared at initial aniline/TiO₂ mole ratios 80, 40, and 20 were studied by scanning electron microscopy, superconducting quantum interference device, X‐ray powder diffraction, FTIR, Raman, and UV‐Vis spectroscopies. The emeraldine salt form of linear PANI chains as well as the presence of phenazine units, branched PANI chains, and anatase crystalline structure of TiO₂ in PANI/TiO₂ nanocomposites was confirmed by FTIR and Raman spectroscopies. The electrical conductivity of synthesized composites was ∼10⁻³ S cm⁻¹. The room temperature ferromagnetic response with coercive field of H_c ∼ 300 Oe and the remanent magnetization of M_r ∼ 4.35 × 10⁻⁴ emu/g was detected in all investigated PANI/TiO₂ nanocomposites. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers     

PANI/PPY blend thin films electrodeposited for use in EGFET sensors

Galvanostatic electrodeposited thin films of polyaniline (PANI)/polypyrrole (PPY) blend were tested as chemical sensors and evaluated according to the relative monomer concentration in polymerization solution aiming to obtain a reliable reference field‐effect transistor able to be used as contrast sensing film. The blend material presented properties that can be controlled by the polymerization process. The films were produced using aniline (0.25 M) and pyrrole (0.25 M) mixed in five different proportions (90/10, 70/30, 50/50, 30/70, 10/90) with HCl (1.0 M) in an aqueous solution. The current density was 1 mA/cm² for 300 s. The films were analyzed by their chronopotentiometric curves, thickness, reflectance spectroscopy, optical color parameters, and surface morphology. The characteristics and properties analyzed were correlated to the relative monomer concentration in the polymerization solution. The polymerization of PANI is favorable in aqueous acid solution compared to PPY, which resulted in thin films with properties varying from PANI down to PPY. The blend films presented controllable sensitivity when applied as sensing stage in field‐effect transistor devices as function of the relative monomer concentration. The sensitivity varied from 57 ± 1 mV/pH for the PANI sample, down to 25 ± 1 mV/pH for the PPY sample, presenting an exponential behavior. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46625.     

Electrosynthesis and capacitive performance of polyaniline–polypyrrole composite

The composite of polyaniline and polypyrrole (PPY‐PANI) was prepared by two‐step electrochemical polymerization method. Techniques of scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermal gravity analysis (TG/DTG) measurements were used to characterize the morphology and structure of the composite. The electrochemical properties of the composite were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge‐discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results indicated that the polyaniline–polypyrrole composite showed better electrochemical capacitive performance than polypyrrole (PPY) and polyaniline (PANI). The specific capacitance of the composite electrode was 523 F/g at a current of 6 mA/cm² in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ electrolyte. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Water‐dispersible conducting polyaniline/nano‐SiO2 composites without any stabilizer

A water‐dispersible conducting polyaniline/ nano‐SiO₂ composite, with a conductivity of 0.071 S cm^?1 at 25°C, was prepared by the oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of amorphous nano‐SiO₂ particles. And the structure, morphology, thermal stability, conductivity, and electroactivity of this composite were also investigated. This composite has been steadily dispersed in the aqueous solution for about 10–36 h without the need for any stabilizer. It would significantly impulse the commercial applications of conducting polyaniline/nano‐SiO₂ composite as fillers for antistatic and anticorrosion coatings. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Preparation of polyaniline/vermiculite clay nanocomposites by in situ chemical oxidative grafting polymerization

BACKGROUND: Recently, conducting polymers have attracted much attention, since they have interesting physical properties and many potential applications, such as in conductive coating charge storage. Hence the synthesis of conducting polymer nanocomposites is also an area of increasing research activity. RESULTS: Vermiculites (VMTs) were successfully delaminated using an acid treatment. Polyaniline (PANI)/VMT nanocomposites were prepared by in situ chemical oxidative grafting polymerization. CONCLUSION: The chemical grafting of PANI/VMTs was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared and UV‐visible spectroscopy. The percentage of grafted PANI was 142.7 wt% as a mass ratio of the grafting PANI and charged nano‐VMTs, investigated using thermogravimetric analysis. In addition, characteristic agglomerate morphology of PANI was observed in the composites using scanning electron microscopy. Thermal analyses indicated that the introduction of VMT nanosheets had a beneficial effect on the thermal stability of PANI. The electrical conductivity of the nanocomposites was 3.9 × 10^?3 S cm^?1, a value typical for semiconductors. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and characterization of PT/PS/SiO2 nanocomposite in nonaqueous medium by chemical method

The PT/PS/SiO₂ nanocomposite of polythiophene (PT), polystyrene (PS), and SiO₂ with a grain size of 100–150 nm was synthesized by chemical polymerization using FeCl₃ oxidant in nanoqueous medium (CHCl₃). The properties of PT/PS/SiO₂ synthesized were compared to those of PT, PT/PS, and PT/SiO₂ synthesized in the same conditions. The synthesized materials were subsequently characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The incorporation of PT in the composite was endorsed by FTIR studies. TGA revealed enhanced thermal stability of the PT/PS/SiO₂ nanocomposite compared to that of PT. SEMs showed globular particles and the presence of clusters of composite particles. The conductivity of the PT/PS/SiO₂ nanocomposite was measured as 1.30×10^?7 Scm^?1 and the conductivity value of PT (1.02×10^?4 Scm^?1) decreased with entiring PS and SiO₂ to PT structure. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 746–752, 2005