Electrical and electrochemical properties of poly(2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole)-polyaniline adduct intercalated graphite oxide composites

Poly(2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole-polyaniline) adduct (PDMcT-PANI) was synthesized by chemical oxidative polymerization. It indicates that electrons are transferred between the PANI and the PDMcT to form the electron donor-acceptor adduct. PDMcT-PANI intercalated graphite oxide composites (PDMcT-PANI/GO) were synthesized by delamination/reassembling method. The hydrogen bond is formed between the –NH and –SH groups of PDMcT-PANI and the carboxyl groups at the edges of the GO, which is confirmed by FTIR. XRD and TEM results show that the PDMcT-PANI/GO composites still maintain good lamellar structure after intercalation, and the interlayer spacing (I_c values) of the GO is enlarged with the addition of the PDMcT-PANI. PDMcT-PANI/GO composites provide better thermal stability compared with pristine GO and PDMcT-PANI. In addition, the intercalation of PDMcT-PANI also improves the electrical conductivity and electrochemical properties of the composites.