Carbon nanotubes/polyaniline nanocomposite coatings: Preparation,rheological behavior,and their application in paper surface treatment

Conventional cellulosic paper, rendered electro‐conductive, may hold considerable promise for diversified applications in such areas as electro‐magnetic interference shielding and energy storage. Here, an electro‐conductive cellulosic paper was prepared by surface application of multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites onto a conventional base paper. MWCNTs/PANI nanocomposites were prepared by in situ polymerization of aniline with different contents of MWCNTs and used as electro‐conductive filler for the fabrication of electro‐conductive surface‐coated paper. The achieved MWCNTs/PANI nanocomposites exhibited a core‐shell structure, as evidenced by TEM. Effects of feeding ratios of MWCNTs on the rheological behavior of nanocomposite coatings, as well as the mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of surface‐coated paper were studied. Results revealed that the rheological behavior of the nanocomposite coatings showed strong dependence on the MWCNTs content. Moreover, both the electro‐conductivity and mechanical properties of surface‐coated paper were improved as a function of surface application of MWCNTs/PANI nanocomposites, particularly, in presence of an optimum content of MWCNTs. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46329.     

Surface modification of MWCNT and its influence on properties of paraffin/MWCNT nanocomposites as phase change material

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were modified by an organo-silane in order to improve their dispersion state and stability in paraffin wax. A family of paraffin-based phase change material (PCM) composites filled with MWCNTs was prepared with different loadings (0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1 wt%) of pristine MWCNTs and organo-silane modified MWCNTs (Si-MWCNT). Structural analyses were performed by means of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and rheological studies using temperature sweeps. Moreover, phase change transition temperatures and heat of fusion as well as thermal and electrical conductivities of the developed PCM nanocomposites were determined. The SEM micrographs and FTIR absorption bands appearing at approximately 1038 and 1112 cm⁻¹ confirmed the silane modification. Differential scanning calorimetery (DSC) results indicate that the presence of Si-MWCNTs leads to slightly favorable enhancement in the energy storage capacity at the maximum loading. It was also shown that the thermal conductivity of the PCM nanocomposites, in both solid and liquid phases, increased with increasing the MWCNT content independent of the kind of MWCNTs by up to about 30% at the maximum loading of MWCNTs. In addition, the modification of MWCNTs made the samples completely electrically nonconductive, and the electrical surface resistivity of the PCMs containing pristine MWCNTs decreased with increasing MWCNTs loading. Furthermore, the rheological assessment under consecutive cyclic phase change demonstrated that the samples containing modified MWCNTs are more stable compared to the PCM containing pristine MWCNTs. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48428.     

Characterizations on the amidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes grafted with polyaniline via in situ polymerization

A multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were carboxylated after refluxing with sulfuric and nitric acids. These attached carboxylic acid groups were further condensated with o‐phenylene diamine into amide catalyzed by dicyclohexyl carbodiimide (DCC). The obtained amidized MWCNTs were in situ‐polymerized with aniline monomers to graft a conducting polyaniline (PANI) onto MWCNT (ES‐g‐MWCNTs) through the polymerization occurring in the ortho‐ and meta‐positions. The reduced conductivity of the MWCNT after carboxylation can be recovered after grafting with PANI, which owns a strong λ_max at the near infrared region due to the extended conjugation from MWCNTs to PANI. Transmission electronic microscopic pictures show a gradual broadening of the MWCNT diameter after carboxylation, amidization, and polymerization. The weight loss from the thermogravimetric thermograms due to the carboxylations of MWCNTs, amidized MWCNTs, and the PANI grafted MWCNTs into CO₂ can be used to estimate the degree of carboxylation, amidization, and grafting of PANI. The degree of carboxylation of MWCNT calculated from ESCA spectrum is around 23% close to that estimated from TGA thermogram. The doping level of redoped PANI‐grafted MWCNT is found to be 27.78% much less than the maximum 50% of neat PANI. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Cellulose/polyaniline derivatives nanocomposites: Synthesis and their performance in removal of anionic dyes from simulated industrial effluents

A series of cellulose/polyaniline derivatives [polyaniline (PANI), poly(N‐methylaniline) (PNMANI), and poly(N‐ethylaniline) (PNEANI)] nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ chemical oxidation polymerization method and successfully applied for removal of acid red 4 and direct red 23 dyes from simulated industrial effluents. The synthesized nanocomposites were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared and ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopies, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscope. The effect of some parameters including pH, adsorbent amount, and initial dyes concentrations on adsorption processes were evaluated. The maximum adsorption capacities (Q_m) for the synthesized nanocomposites were calculated, and among them the Cell/PANI sample showed the highest Q_m for both AR4 (117 mg g^–1) and DR23 (56 mg g^–1) dyes. The regeneration and reusability tests exhibited that the synthesized nanocomposites had the relatively good reusability after five repetitions of the adsorption–desorption cycles. According to results, we envision that these nanocomposites, especially Cell/PANI, find application for removal of anionic dyes from industrial effluents mainly due to their low production costs, high adsorption effectiveness, and relatively good reusability. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45352.     

Synthesis,characterization, and thermal aging behavior of HCl‐doped polyaniline/TRGO nanocomposites

In this article polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites containing thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRGO) were synthesized and characterized before and after thermal aging. The nanocomposites were prepared through in situ oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of TRGO nanoplatelets. FTIR and Raman spectroscopies, XRD, FESEM, and electrical conductivity measurements were used to characterize synthesized materials. PANI/TRGO nanocomposites showed considerably higher electrical conductivity when compared to pure PANI, which was associated with the higher electrical conductivity of TRGO and increased crystallinity of PANI in the presence of TRGO. Pure PANI and PANI/TRGO nanocomposites were thermally aged at 70, 80, 90, and 100 °C. The results showed that the characteristic time of thermal aging process is higher for PANI/TRGO nanocomposites and increases with TRGO loading, which indicates better stability of conductivity during thermal aging process. On the other hand, the characteristic time of thermal aging reduced with aging temperature and a fast decrease was observed from 80 to 90 °C. Improved resistance over thermal aging can be attributed to the barrier effect of TRGO nanoplatelets to the dopant molecules, which retards conductivity degradation in the thermal aging process. Furthermore, TRGO increases PANI crystallinity and it can also prevent crystallinity reduction during thermal aging process. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44635.     

Water-dispersible polyaniline-carbon nanotubes composites with interface covalent bond and their enhanced electrochemical and electrochromic properties

The water-dispersible electrochormic nanocomposites, polyaniline (PANI) connected multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by covalent bond were synthesized through a grafting polymerization process of aniline monomer with functionalized MWCNTs. N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) was used as dehydrant for functionalization process of MWCNTs with p-phenylenediamine (PPD). The transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used to study the morphologies, thermal stabilities and chemical structures of the nanocomposites, respectively. The UV-vis absorbance spectra and cyclic voltammetry behaviors of nanocomposites were tested by UV-vis spectrometer and electrochemical workstation, respectively. It is shown show that PANI-MWCNTs nanocomposites not only exhibit good water solubility, but also exhibit excellent film-forming properties. The results confirm that the π-π interactions and interfacial covalent bond between PANI and MWCNTs endow PANI-MWCNTs excellent electrochemical and electrochromic properties. The conductive network composed of PANI and MWCNTs can significantly improve the ion transports, electron conduct and electrochromic performance of PANI. The PANI-MWCNTs-0.6% nanocomposite film shows highest optical contrast value (0.78) and shortest response time (3.8 seconds for coloring and 3.2 seconds for bleaching) among neat PANI and PANI-MWCNTs nanocomposites.     

Effect of exfoliated organophilic montmorillonite on the structure and conductivity of polypropylene/polyaniline composites

This study concentrates on the effect of organophilic montmorillonite (OMMT) nanolayers on conductivity, structure, morphology, and mechanical properties of the polypropylene/polyaniline (PP/PANI) composites. The composite was prepared by in situ polymerization of aniline at different composition ratios in the presence of PP powder. The structure and conductivity of ternary PP/PANI/OMMT nanocomposites were compared with those of PP/PANI composites. DC electrical conductivity measurements indicated that electrical conductivity decreased in the presence of OMMT layers. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the surface of ternary nanocomposites have more rough regions. The interaction between PANI and OMMT was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The distribution of OMMT layers in the polymer matrix, as an effective parameter on the properties of nanocomposite, was investigated and confirmed using X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed an exfoliated array for OMMT layers in the nanocomposite structure. The shear storage modulus for PP/PANI composites was lower than that for pure PP; however, it was increased for PP/PANI/OMMT nanocomposites. The data from the tensile and izod impact strength showed that the Young's modulus and izod impact strength were increased slightly by the addition of OMMT, whereas the elongation at break was decreased. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:699–707, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

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     

Preparation of PAA‐g‐PEG/PANI polymer gel electrolyte and its application in quasi solid state dye‐sensitized solar cells

A microporous hybrid polymer of poly(acrylic acid)‐g‐poly(ethylene glycol)/polyaniline (PAA‐g‐PEG/PANI) is synthesized by a two‐step solution polymerization method. The influence of aniline concentration on the conductivity of PAA‐g‐PEG/PANI gel electrolyte is discussed, when the concentration of aniline is 0.66 wt%, the conductivity of PAA‐g‐PEG/PANI gel electrolyte is 11.50 mS cm^?1. Using this gel electrolyte as host, a quasi solid state dye‐sensitized solar cell (QS‐DSSC) is assembled. The QS‐DSSC based on this gel electrolyte achieves a power conversion efficiency of 6.38% under a simulated solar illumination of 100 mW cm^?2 (AM 1.5). POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:322–326, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Polyaniline/zinc oxide nanocomposite as room‐temperature sensing layer for methane

Methane detection in ambient condition has become essential as it is being increasingly used as compressed natural gas in many industrial processes and for domestic and transportation purposes. Hence, in this work, we report a room‐temperature methane sensor based on polyaniline/zinc oxide (PANI/ZnO) nanocomposite. The PANI/ZnO nanocomposite was prepared by chemical polymerization of aniline in the presence of ZnO nanoparticles. Electron microscopy results revealed the successful formation of nanocomposites with rod‐like ZnO nanoparticles embedded into the network of nanofibrillar PANI matrix. The PANI/ZnO nanocomposites exhibited a high response to methane at room temperature within a short response time of 20 s for a methane concentration (500 ppm) much lower than its flammability limit. Moreover, the humidity dependence of the sensor response was found to be very low. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:1438–1445, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Oxidative graft polymerization of aniline on the modified surface of polypropylene films

A novel method for preparing electrically conductive polypropylene‐graft‐polyacrylic acid/polyaniline (PP‐g‐PAA/PANI) composite films was developed. 1,4‐Phenylenediamine (PDA) was introduced on the surface of PP‐g‐PAA film, and then, chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline on PP‐g‐PAA/PDA film was carried out to prepare PP‐g‐PAA/PANI electrically conductive composite films. After each step of reaction, the PP film surface was characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Static water contact angles of the PP, PP‐g‐PAA, and PP‐g‐PAA/PANI films were measured, and the results revealed that graft reactions took place as expected. The morphology of the PP‐g‐PAA film and the PP‐g‐PAA/PANI composite film were observed by atomic force microscopy. The conductivity and the thickness of the PP‐g‐PAA/PANI composite films with 1.5 wt % PANI were around 0.21 S/cm and 0.4 μm, respectively. The PANI on the PP‐g‐PAA/PANI film was reactivated and chain growing occurred to further improve the molecular weight of PANI. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2442–2450, 2007     

Vertically oriented polyaniline‐graphene nanocomposite based on functionalized graphene for supercapacitor electrode

Polyaniline functionalized reduced graphene oxide (PORGO) is prepared by interfacial polymerization and then vertically oriented polyaniline‐graphene (PANI‐PORGO) nanocomposites based on PORGO are developed successfully by in situ polymerization. The morphology and structure are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT‐IR), Raman spectra and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). The electrochemical tests indicate that the specific capacitance of PORGO and PANI‐PORGO is as high as 291 and 369 F/g, respectively, at the current density of 1 A/g. PANI—PORGO nanocomposite exhibits high electrochemical activity and enhanced cycle stability with a capacitance retention of 81.2% after 500 cycles at 10 A/g. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44808.     

Dulse‐derived porous carbon–polyaniline nanocomposite electrode for high‐performance supercapacitors

Dulse‐derived porous carbon (DDPC)–polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites were fabricated by a method based on the in situ chemical oxidation polymerization of aniline on DDPC. The characterization of the material showed that the nano‐PANI was grown on the surface of DDPC in the form of nanosticks or nanoparticles. The DDPC–PANI nanocomposites were further used as electrode materials for energy‐storage applications. Meanwhile, the effect of the amount of aniline on the electrochemical performance of DDPC–PANI was also investigated. The results show that a maximum specific capacitance of 458 F/g was achieved for the DDPC–PANI nanocomposites; this was higher than that of the DDPC electrode (218 F/g), and the PANI electrode (318 F/g). The specific capacitance of DDPC–PANI remained 66.0% of the initial value after 5000 cycles; this was higher than that of PANI (50.5%). Finally, a device of DDPC–PANI–activated carbon (AC) was assembled with DDPC–PANI as a positive electrode, which exhibited a high energy density of 9.02 W h/kg, which was higher than that of PANI–AC device. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45776.     

Synthesis and characterization of crosslinked chitosan immobilized on bentonite and its grafted products with polyaniline

Chitosan immobilized bentonite (CIB) namely chitosan‐coated bentonite (5% chitosan content) was synthesized in 2% acetic acid solution, followed by crosslinking, using epichlorohydrien (ECH). The so‐obtained crosslinked chitosan immobilized on bentonite (CIB‐ECH) and CIB composites were grafted with polyaniline (PANI) through oxidative‐radical copolymerization using ammonium peroxydisulfate in acidic medium to produce PANI‐grafted crosslinked chitosan immobilized on bentonite (PANI‐g‐CIB‐ECH) and PANI‐grafted‐chitosan immobilized on bentonite (PANI‐g‐CIB) composites, respectively. The resultant composites were characterized by using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), thermo gravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and electrical conductivity. XRD and FTIR analyses indicate that chitosan was not intercalated into the silicate layer. Also the electrical conductivity elucidates that the grafted composites fall in the range required for the application as electrostatic dissipation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 41078.     

Thorium (IV) phosphate‐polyaniline composite‐based hydrophilic membranes for bending actuator application

In the present study, ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) membrane actuator based on triple‐layered thorium(IV) phosphate/polyaniline/Pt (ThP‐PANI‐Pt) was prepared via consecutive solution recasting and electroless plating methods. The triple‐layered membrane is composed of thorium(IV) phosphate (ThP) inorganic cation exchanger layer in the middle section, two layers of polyaniline deposited through in situ polymerization and finally Pt electrode layers on both the surfaces on the outer section. The water uptake capacity of the ThP‐PANI composite polymer membrane was found to be 95.40% at 45ºC for 10 h of immersion time. The ion exchange capacity and proton conductivity was found to be 1.6 meq g^?1of dry membrane and 1.12 × 10^?3 S cm^?1, respectively. Maximum water loss from IPMC was 38% at 4 V for a time period of 12 min. Scanning electron micrographs shows the smooth and uniform coating of Pt on both side of composite polymer membrane surfaces. Cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, X‐ray diffraction, and tip displacement of ThP‐PANI‐Pt IPMC membrane actuator was also examined. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 57:258–267, 2017. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Fabrication of conducting polyaniline–multiwalled carbon nanotube nanocomposites and their use as templates for loading gold nanoparticles

A new and effective route to synthesize conducting polyaniline‐multiwalled carbon nanotube (PANI ‐f‐MWNT) nanocomposites (where ‘f’ denotes that the MWNTs have been functionalized) starting with amine‐protected 4‐aminophenol is reported. Aminophenol‐functionalized MWNTs were initially synthesized by functionalizing acyl chloride‐terminated nanotubes with N‐(tert‐butoxycarbonyl)‐4‐aminophenol followed by the in situ chemical oxidative grafting of aniline in the presence of ammonium persulfate as an oxidizing agent. Control of the morphology and thickness of the polymer–MWNT nanocomposites was achieved by varying the weight ratios of aniline monomers and MWNTs in the polymerization process. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was employed to characterize the initial changes in surface functionalities which also confirmed that PANI was covalently grafted to the MWNTs. Electron microscopy and UV‐visible absorption spectroscopy were employed to characterize the morphology and chemical structure of the resulting hybrids. The results obtained indicate that the structure of the MWNTs was not perturbed by the incorporation of PANI. The content of the polymer in the nanocomposites was determined thermogravimetrically, while the electrical conductivity was obtained using four‐probe measurements. The PANI ‐f‐MWNT nanocomposites were adopted as templates for further decoration with gold nanoparticles in solution, thus opening new possibilities for their prospective technological applications. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Polyaniline salt containing dual dopants,pyrelenediimide tetracarboxylic acid,and sulfuric acid: Fluorescence and supercapacitor

Storage of energy is considered as the most germane technologies to address the future sustainability. In this study, aniline was chemically oxidized with a controlled concentration of pyrelenediimide tetracarboxylic acid (PDITCA) by ammonium persulfate to polyaniline salt (PANI‐H₂SO₄‐PDITCA), with nanorods morphologies, having a sensibly decent conductivity of 0.8 S cm^?1, wherein H₂SO₄ was generated from ammonium persulfate during polymerization. PANI‐H₂SO₄‐PDITCA salt showed bathochromic fluorescence shift (595 nm) compared to PDITCA (546 nm). The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of the PANI‐H₂SO₄‐PDITCA‐25 and PANI‐H₂SO₄‐PDITCA‐50 were 18.3 and 21.4 m² g^?1, respectively. Furthermore, its energy storage efficiency was evaluated by supercapacitor cell configuration. The composite PANI‐H₂SO₄‐PDITCA‐50 showed capacitance 460 F g^?1 at 0.3 A g^?1 and large cycle life 85,000 cycles with less retention of 77% to its original capacitance (200 F g^?1) even at a better discharge rate of 3.3 A g^?1. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 45456.     

Aliphatic–aromatic polyester–polyaniline composites: preparation,characterization, antibacterial activity and conducting properties

Poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) composites containing polyaniline (PANI) were prepared using a melt blending process. Acrylic‐acid‐grafted PBAT (PBAT‐g‐AA) and PANI were used to improve the compatibility and dispersibility of PANI within the PBAT matrix. The composites were characterised morphologically using scanning electron microscopy, chemically using Fourier transform IR spectrometry and ¹³C solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance, and optically using UV‐visible spectroscopy. The electrical conductivity of the composites was also evaluated with a resistance tester and a cyclic voltameter. Escherichia coli (BCRC 10239) was chosen as the standard bacterium for determining the antibacterial properties of the composite materials. The anti‐static properties of the composites were also evaluated. The PBAT‐g‐AA/PANI composite showed markedly enhanced antibacterial and anti‐static properties due to the formation of amide bonds by the condensation of the carboxylic acid groups of PBAT‐g‐AA with the amino groups of PANI. The optimal level of PANI was 9 wt%, as excess PANI led to separation of the two organic phases, lowering their compatibility. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

A facile approach to fabricate waterborne,nanosized polyaniline‐graft‐(sulfonated polyurethane) as environmental antistatic coating

Waterborne polyurethane (WPU) has been intensively utilized as host materials for intrinsic conducting polymers. However, the stability and compatibility between polyaniline (PANI) and WPU remain a challenge for their composites. In this research, anionic–nonionic sulfonated waterborne polyurethane (SWPU) is adopted as matrix to prepare nanosized PANI‐g‐SWPU dispersions through chemical graft polymerization method, and the stability mechanism is systematically investigated. The PANI‐g‐SWPU dispersion is endowed with much higher stability and no PANI precipitation is detected after storage for 1 year when the PEG molecular weight is 1000 and R value is 1.2. The surface resistivity reaches the minimum when the graft time is 2.5 h, pH value is 2, n(APS)/n(aniline) is 1, and the aniline content is 20 wt %. And the resistivity of the coated paper reaches 1.39 Ω cm, indicating that the as‐prepared PANI‐g‐SWPU dispersion can be directly used as the antistatic coatings, which is also suitable for large scalable production. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45412.     

Preparation and anticorrosive properties of PANI/Na-MMT and PANI/O-MMT nanocomposites

Nanocomposites of polyaniline (PANI) with organophilic montmorillonite (O-MMT) and hydrophilic montmorillonite (Na-MMT) were prepared. The nanocomposites were characterized using FT-IR, D.C. electrical conductivity measurement and cyclic voltammetry techniques. It was found that PANI/Na-MMT nanocomposite has lower (5.8%) and PANI/O-MMT nanocomposite has higher (29.4%) conductivity compared to pure polyaniline. Cyclic voltammetry experiments showed that both nanocomposites are electroactive. The anticorrosive properties of a 100 μm thickness coating of nanocomposites on iron coupons were evaluated and compared with pure polyaniline coating. According to the results PANI/MMT nanocomposites have enhanced corrosion protection effect in comparison to pure polyaniline coating. Results showed also that the PANI/Na-MMT and PANI/O-MMT nanocomposites have considerably different corrosion protection efficiencies in various corrosive environments.