Fabrication and properties of solution‐cast polyaniline/carboxymethylchitin blend films

Blend films consisting of polyaniline in emeraldine base form (PANI EB) dispersed in partially cross‐linked carboxymethylchitin (CM‐chitin) were prepared by solution casting, and characterized for their physical, thermal, and electrical properties. Homogeneous and mechanically robust blend films were obtained having PANI EB contents up to 50 wt % in the CM‐chitin matrix. FTIR spectra confirm intimate mixing of the two blend components. The thermal stability of the blend films increased with increase of PANI EB content, suggesting the formation of an intermolecular interaction, such as hydrogen bonding, between PANI EB and CM‐chitin chains. The addition of PANI EB into the pure CM‐chitin film resulted in a decrease in electrical conductivity of the films owing to disruption of ionic conduction of the CM‐chitin structure. After doping the blend films by immersion in HCl solution, the electrical conductivity of the HCl‐doped films increased with increase of the PANI EB content to a maximum value of the order of 10^?3 S/cm at 50 wt % PANI EB content. The electrical conductivity of the blend films was also dependent on the HCl concentration as well as on the type of acid dopant. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Preparation and characterization of conductive poly(vinyl alcohol)/polyaniline doped by dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid (PVA/PANDB) blend films

In this study a solution‐blend method is adopted to prepare conductive poly(vinyl alcohol)/polyaniline doped by dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid (PVA/PANDB) blend films. Emeraldine base (EB)‐type polyaniline (PANI) is dissolved in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (NMP) and then blended with PVA/dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) solution by various amounts. It is found that the electrical conductivity and the thermal degradation onset temperature of the PVA/PANDB blend film are increased as the amount of EB‐type PANI solution is increased. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra show that the intensity of the characteristic peak of the functional groups in the blend film is significantly changed as the amount of EB‐type PANI is changed. From optical microscopy examination, it indicates that the amount and size of green particles are increased with increasing the amount of EB‐type PANI solution. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 3415–3422, 2007     

Novel conducting polyaniline blends with cyanoresin

Novel conducting polyaniline (PANI)/cyanoresin (Cyan) blends were prepared by the addition of Cyan/dimethylformamide solutions to aniline monomer/dopant solutions and the in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline with ammonium persulfate as an oxidant in aqueous p‐toluene sulfonic acid solutions. The PANI/Cyan blends were prepared with various compositions (5:95, 10:90, 20:80, 30:70, 40:60, 50:50, 60:40, and 70:30), and blend films of PANI/Cyan were obtained with a casting method. The conductivity of the PANI/Cyan blend films was 10^?7 to 10^?2 S/cm, which was measured by a four‐probe technique. The tensile strength of the blend films was maintained with an increasing amount of PANI (up to 50 wt %), and this was attributed to intermolecular interactions such as hydrogen bonding between PANI and Cyan and a reinforcing effect through blending. This hypothesis was corroborated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis were also used to investigate the morphology and thermal properties of the conducting PANI/Cyan blend films, respectively. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 1035–1042, 2005     

Photo‐induced protonation and conductivity of polyaniline/poly(ethylene glycol) and polyaniline/[poly(ethylene glycol)‐grafted polyaniline] composites

Composites of polyaniline in its emeraldine base form (PANI‐EB) and photo‐acid generators (PAG) show an increase in conductivity upon photo‐irradiation due to the protonation of PANI‐EB. Such materials may be utilized to fabricate conducting patterns by photo‐irradiation. However, the conductivity obtained by direct irradiation of PANI‐EB/PAG composites was normally quite low (<10^?3 S/cm) due to aggregation of highly loaded PAG. In this work, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), which is a proton transfer polymer, was added to PANI‐EB/PAG. Results showed that addition of low M_w (550) PEG significantly enhance the photo‐induced conductivity. Conductivities as high as 10^?1–10⁰ S/cm were observed after photo‐irradiation. This conductivity is comparable to that of PANI‐salt synthesized by oxidizing aniline in the presence of an acid. High M_w (8000) PEG is much less effective than PEG 550, which is attributed to its lower compatibility with PANI. PEG‐grafted PANI (N‐PEG‐PANI) was also studied as an additive. Composites of PANI‐EB and N‐PEG‐PANI showed conductivity as high as 10² S/cm after treatment with HCl vapor. The photo‐induced conductivity of the N‐PEG‐PANI/PANI‐EB/PAG composite reached 10^?2–10^?1 S/cm. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Preparation and properties of waterborne polyurethane/polyaniline codoped with dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid and hydrochloric acid blends

A conductive poly(aniline codoped with dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid and hydrochloric acid) [PANI‐D/H, yield: 32.2%, intrinsic viscosity ([η]): 1.39 dL/g, electrical conductivity: 7.3 S/cm] was synthesized by chemical oxidative polymerization from aniline‐dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid salt (A‐DS)/aniline‐hydrochloric acid salt (A‐HS) (6/4M ratio) in an aqueous system. Waterborne polyurethane (WBPU) dispersion obtained from isophorone diisocyanate/poly(tetramethylene oxide)glycol/dimethylol propionic acid/ethylene diamine/triethylene amine/water was used as a matrix polymer. The blend films of WBPU/PANI‐D/H with various weight ratios (99.9/0.1–25/75) were prepared by solution blending/casting. Effect of PANI‐D/H content on the mechanical property, dynamic mechanical property, hardness, electrical conductivity, and antistaticity of WBPU/PANI‐D/H blend films was investigated. The dynamic storage modulus and initial tensile modulus increased with increasing PANI‐D/H content up to 1 wt %, and then it was significantly decreased about the content. With increasing PANI‐D/H content, the glass transition temperature of soft segment (T_gs) and hard segment (T_gh) of WBPU/PANI‐D/H blend films were shifted a bit to lower the temperature. The tensile strength and hardness of WBPU/PANI‐D/H blend films increased a little with increasing PANI‐D/H content up to 0.5 wt %, and then it was dramatically decreased over the content. The elongation at break of WBPU/PANI‐D/H decreased with an increase in PANI‐D/H content. From these results, it was concluded that 0.5–1 wt % of PANI‐D/H was the critical concentration to reinforce those various properties of WBPU/PANI‐D/H blend films prepared in this study. The electrical conductivity of WBPU/ultrasonic treated PANI‐D/H (particle size: 0.7 μm) blend films prepared here increased from 4.0 × 10^?7 to 0.33 S/cm with increasing PANI‐D/H content from 0.1 to 75 wt %. The antistatic half‐life time (τ_1/2) of pure WBPU film was about 110 s. However, those of WBPU/ultrasonic treated PANI‐D/H blend films (τ_1/2: 8.2–0.1 s, and almost 0 s) were found to decrease exponentially with increasing PANI‐D/H content (0.1–9 wt %, and above 9 wt %). © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 700–710, 2004     

Electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of polyaniline/natural rubber composite fibers

Electrically conducting elastomer fibers based on natural rubber (NR) and up to 10% w/w polyaniline (PANI) in its emeraldine base (EB) form were fabricated by a wet spinning process. The resulting fibers at various PANI contents were doped by immersion in aqueous HCl solution, which converted the PANI to the electrically conductive emeraldine salt (ES) form. The morphology of the composite fibers was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). PANI particles were inhomogeneously distributed in the NR matrix. The electrical conductivity of the fibers increased with the increasing PANI‐ES content and leveled off at a value of around 10^?3 S/cm at PANI‐ES concentration of 5% w/w. The fibers retained most of their elasticity upon doping, while the tenacity was somewhat reduced. Gratifyingly, the electrical conductivity of the new elastomer fibers was preserved upon elongational deformation, even if strains as large as 600% were applied. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007     

Use of natural rubber‐g‐polystyrene as a compatibilizer in casting natural rubber/polystyrene blend films

Natural rubber/polystyrene (NR/PS) blend films with weight ratios of 70/30, 60/40, and 50/50 were prepared using polystyrene grafted natural rubber copolymers (NR‐g‐PS) as the compatibilizer. Copolymers with molar ratios of 90/10, 80/20, and 70/30 were synthesized via emulsion copolymerization using tert‐butyl hydroperoxide/tetraethylene pentamine as an initiator. The copolymers were subsequently added into the blends at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 phr. The mixtures were cast into films by the solution‐casting method using toluene as the casting solvent. Mechanical and morphological properties of the prepared films were investigated. The film prepared from 80/20 NR‐g‐PS showed higher tensile and tear strength, as well as finer domain size of the dispersed phase, than those prepared from 90/10 and 70/30 NR‐g‐PS. However, the mechanical properties of the films were decreased at high loading of the copolymers. In addition, themogravimetric analysis revealed that weight loss was decreased upon introduction of the compatibilizer. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 95: 826–831, 2005     

Thermoplastic elastomeric blend of nitrile rubber and poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile). I. Effect of mixing sequence and dynamic vulcanization on mechanical properties

The effects of dynamic vulcanization and blend ratios on mechanical properties and morphology of thermoplastic elastomeric (TPE) compositions, based on blends of nitrile rubber (NBR) and poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (SAN), were studied. The TPE composition prepared by adding a rubber‐curatives masterbatch to softened SAN yields higher mechanical properties than that prepared by adding curatives to the softened plastic–rubber preblend. The blends having a higher rubber–plastic ratio (60 : 40 to 80 : 20) display thermoplastic elastomeric behavior, whereas those having a higher plastic–rubber ratio (50 : 50 to 90 : 10) display the behavior of impact‐resistant plastics. DSC studies revealed that NBR and SAN are thermodynamically immiscible. SEM studies of the thermoplastic elastomeric compositions show that SAN forms the matrix in which fine particles of NBR form the dispersed phase. It was further confirmed by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. Dynamic vulcanization causes a decrease in the size of dispersed particles and improvement in mechanical properties. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 1976–1987, 2003     

Space‐charge limited conduction in polyaniline films

Polyaniline emeraldine base (PANI‐EB) powder was synthesized by oxidative polymerization of aniline. The PANI‐EB films were prepared by the solution‐casting technique. The temperature‐dependent dc conductivity measured in the range 173–303 K suggests that the PANI‐EB is a quasi‐one‐dimensional disordered conductor. The current‐voltage characteristics of the PANI‐EB films measured in the range 333–383 K showed the SCLC mechanism. The SCLC parameters such as free carrier density (p₀), trap density (p_t), the ratio between free carrier density to the total carrier density (θ), mobility (µ) and the effective hole mobility (µ_eff) were calculated. The activation energy (E_a = 0.32 eV) and the Fermi level (E_F = 0.42 eV) were estimated. As well as these, the trap parameters such as the trap filled limit voltage (V_TFL), the shallow trap density (N_t), the depth of the dominant trap level (E_t ? E_v), the density of states within the hole mobility edge (N_v) and the characteristic energy (E_c) were also calculated and presented. The exponential type of traps distribution with large number of traps was found to be due to the disorder and moisture in the polymer films. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Electrical and structural properties of polyaniline/cellulose triacetate blend films

Polyaniline (PANI) has been blended with cellulose triacetate (CTA) to obtain both good mechanical properties and good electrical properties. The effects of PANI weight percentage on the optical, structural, morphological and electrical properties in the blend films of polyaniline and cellulose triacetate (PANI/CTA) have been investigated. The phenomenon of percolation was observed in these blend films. It is found that the electrical conductivity of the blend films increases with the increase of polyaniline content up to a value of 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ at 84 weight percentage of PANI. The experimental percolation threshold of the dried blend films is obtained at 9.5 wt% of polyaniline. The values of Mott’s temperature, density of states at the Fermi level [N (E _f)], hopping distance (R _hop), and barrier height (W _hop) for PANI/CTA blend films are calculated. By applying Mott’s theory, it is found that the PANI/CTA blend films obey the three dimensional variable range hopping mechanism.     

Surface graft polymerization of conducting polyaniline on waterborne poyurethane‐urea film and its phenol sensing

Waterborne polyurethane‐ureas (pristine WBPUs: WBPU‐19 and WBPU‐24, fixed soft segment content: 60 wt %) containing dimethylol propionic acid (DMPA)/ethylene diamine (EDA) contents (19/16.8 and 24/11.4 mol %) were prepared. The polyaniline (PANI)‐graft‐WBPU (PANI‐graft‐WBPU) films were prepared by oxidative graft polymerization of aniline on the surface layer of WBPU films. This study focused on the effects of reaction conditions (concentrations/treating times/temperatures of aniline and APS) and DMPA content on the %grafting, conductivity, and mechanical properties of PANI‐graft‐WBPU films. To obtain the maximum %grafting (PANI‐graft‐WBPU‐19: 6.2, and PANI‐graft‐WBPU‐24: 7.4) and conductivity (PANI‐graft‐WBPU‐19: 3.6 × 10^?2S/cm, and PANI‐graft‐WBPU‐24: 4.7 × 10^?2S/cm), the optimum concentrations/treating times/temperatures of aniline and APS, were found to be 0.35M/10 min/25°C and 0.2M/10 min/0°C, respectively. The tensile strength of film samples was found to be increased in the order of PANI‐graft‐WBPU‐19>pristine WBPU‐19>PANI‐graft‐WBPU‐24>pristine WBPU‐24. The PANI‐graft‐WBPU‐19 (%grafting: 6.2) films on exposure to 0–10,000 ppm phenol solutions showed a well‐defined response behavior, demonstrating high promise for application in aqueous phenol sensors. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

New smart conducting elastomer blends of Bi‐based superconductor ceramics nanoparticles reinforced natural rubber/low‐density polyethylene for double thermistors,antistatic protectors,and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness applications

A new conducting blend from natural rubber (NR), low‐density polyethylene (PE), and Bi‐based superconductor (BSCCO) nanoparticles was successfully formulated. Blends were prepared by means of an open two‐roll mill for five ratios (100/0, 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, and 60/40 NR/LDPE). The microstructures of the blends were examined in terms of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), bound rubber (BR), cross‐linking density (CLD), and Mooney viscosity (M₁₀₀). The mechanical properties like hardness (H) shore A, tensile strength (TS), and elongation at break (EB) of the blends were studied. The applicability of the blends as double thermistors, i.e., positive and negative coefficient of resistivity (PTCR/NTCR), was examined. The applicability of the blend for antistatic charge dissipation was also tested. Finally, electromagnetic interference response of conducting NR/PE‐filled BSCCO in the frequency range 1–12 GHz has been studied. Shielding effectiveness of the conducting blends in the microwave range 8–12 GHz shows an attenuation of 44–60 dB for PE ≤10 wt%. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Quantitative characterization of interfaces in rubber–rubber blends by means of modulated‐temperature DSC

Rubber–rubber blends are used widely in industry, for example, in tire manufacture. It is often difficult to characterize interfaces in such rubber–rubber blends quantitatively because of the similarity in the chemical structure of the component rubbers. Here, a new method was suggested for the measurement of the weight fraction of the interface in rubber–rubber blends using modulated‐temperature differential scanning calorimetry (M‐TDSC). Quantitative analysis using the differential of the heat capacity, dCp/dT, versus the temperature signal from M‐TDSC allows the weight fraction of the interface to be calculated. As examples, polybutadiene rubber (BR)–natural rubber (NR), BR–styrene‐co‐butadiene rubber (SBR), SBR–NR, and nitrile rubber (NBR)–NR blend systems were analyzed. The interfacial content in these blends was obtained. SBR is partially miscible with BR. The cis‐structure content in BR has an obvious effect on the extent of mixing in the SBR–BR blends. With increasing styrene content in the SBR in the SBR–BR blends, the interface content decreases. NR is partially miscible with both BR and SBR. The NBR used in this research is essentially immiscible with NR. The maximum amount of interface was found to be at the 50:50 blend composition in BR–NR, SBR–BR, and SBR–NR systems. Quantitative analysis of interfaces in these blend systems is reported for the first time. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 76: 1791–1798, 2000     

Processable conductive blends of polyaniline/polyimide

By using camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) to protonate polyaniline (PANI), the counterion enabled the PANI–CSA complex processable as a solution phase. So camphorsulfonic acid (CSA)-doped polyaniline/polyimide (PANI/PI) blend films were prepared by the solvent casting method using N-methylpyrrolidinone (NMP) as a cosolvent followed by thermal imidization. The conductivity of the PANI–CSA/PAA (50 wt % PANI content) is greater than that of the pure PANI sample at room temperature. As the thermal imidization proceeded, molecular order of polymer chain structure was improved in the resulting PANI–CSA/PI film due to the annealing effect of PANI chain, and this PANI–CSA/PI film showed higher conductivity than PANI–CSA and PANI–CSA/PAA film. PANI–CSA/PI blend films had a good thermal stability of conductivity at high temperature. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 67:1863–1870, 1998     

Preparation and properties of polyaniline electrospun fiber web

The objective of this study is to fabricate the highly electrical conducting polymer fibers applicable to many conducting materials. Therefore, we tried to prepare polyaniline (PANI) thin fiber web by an electrospinning process by the following steps. First, PANI emeraldine base (EB) was prepared by oxidative polymerization. Second, the PANI EB was doped with 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐1‐propanesulfonic acid (AMPSA), and subsequently that was dissolved in trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Third, the PANI‐AMPSA solution was electrospun by an electrospinning process. Consequently, the PANI doped with AMPSA was successfully electrospun into thin fiber form, and the electrical conductivity was superior. Also, the electrical conductivity of the PANI‐AMPSA electrospun was increased by a simple redoping process with AMPSA. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Effect of silanized silica nanofiller on tack and green strength of selected filled rubbers

BACKGROUND: Tack and green strength of filled and gum (unfilled) natural rubber (NR), poly(styrene‐co‐butadiene) rubber (SBR), polybutadiene rubber (BR) and (SBR‐BR) blend with different loadings of reinforcement agent, silanized silica nanofiller (Coupsil 8113), were studied and the results compared and discussed. RESULTS: It was found that silica was fully dispersed in rubber matrix after 13 min of mixing. In addition, with some exceptions for NR and (SBR‐BR) blend, filler loading decreased the tack strength of the studied filled rubbers. Green strength and Mooney viscosity increased with filler loading for all studied filled rubbers but with different rates and amounts. The optimum filler loadings for NR and (SBR‐BR) filled blend were 30 and 10 phr, respectively. Tacks of NR filled rubbers were much higher than those of synthetic filled rubbers. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that filler loading alters substantially the tack and green strength of the rubbers under investigation. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Enhancing the thermal stability of natural rubber/recycled ethylene propylene diene rubber blends through the use of bio‐compatibilizers

Recycling of rubber waste and searching for alternative routes to prolong the service life of rubber products are of significant concern. One of the ideas to reduce the rubber waste is to blend it with the virgin rubber to gain synergistic properties from its own advantages. In this study, natural rubber (NR) and recycled ethylene propylene diene rubber (R‐EPDM) were blended as a way to combine the mechanical properties and oxidative resistance given by NR and R‐EPDM, respectively. New approaches in enhancing the thermal stability were observed through the use of bio‐compatibilizers that is, alkanolamide (AKA)‐based refined, bleached, and deodorized palm stearin (RBDPS) and NR latex (NRL). The thermal stability of the blends was monitored through two techniques: thermo‐oxidative aging and thermogravimetric Analysis. Results indicated that the aging resistance of the blends was improved by addition of AKA and NRL as bio‐compatibilizers. This is confirmed by the enhancement of thermal decomposition temperature and the activation energies of the blends. The obtained TG profiles and the calculated kinetic parameters indicated that introducing AKA and NRL enhanced their thermal stability, especially at higher contents of AKA and NRL. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 25:E155–E165, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Synthesis and studies of exceptionally crystalline polyaniline thin films

Highly crystalline camphor sulfonic acid (CSA)‐doped polyaniline (PANI) thin films cast from m‐cresol and N‐methylpyrrolidone (NMP) were investigated. PANI powder prepared by chemical oxidative polymerization subjected to doping–de‐doping–re‐doping procedures was cast into thin films using NMP and m‐cresol as solvents. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) reveals the presence of exceptionally highly crystalline or rather ordered regions in the PANI film samples prepared from m‐cresol. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images also support the presence of crystalline regions on the surface of these films. The DC electrical conductivity of m‐cresol‐cast PANI is found to be quite high, and much higher than that of NMP‐cast PANI. The free‐carrier absorption tail extending to the near‐infrared region observed in the optical absorption spectrum of the m‐cresol‐cast PANI films suggests a metallic nature and regular structural arrangement in these films. Both inter‐chain and intra‐chain ordering brought about as a result of CSA doping, secondary doping effect of m‐cresol and ultrasonication are suggested to be the prime factors contributing towards the observed excellent crystallinity of these PANI films as evident from the XRD and AFM studies. The marked thermal stability of the m‐cresol‐cast PANI films is also established based on the variation of DC electrical conductivity with temperature and on thermogravimetric analysis. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Stability of polyaniline synthesized by a doping–dedoping–redoping method

Stability, including thermal stability, conductivity stability in air and after thermal treatment (100–200°C), of the polyaniline (PANI) films synthesized by a doping–dedoping–redoping method was investigated. It was found that thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) curves undergo three steps: loss of water or solvent, dedoping and decomposition, and those depend on the counterions. Compared with PANI films doped with camphor sulfonic acid (CSA) in m‐cresol, the thermal stability of the doped PANI films is improved by the new method, and thermal stability in the order of PANI–H₃PO₄ > PANI–p‐TSA > PANI–H₂SO₄ > PANI–HCl, PANI–HClO₄ > PANI–CSA was observed. The conductivity of the doped PANI films at room temperature was reduced after thermal treatment, and it is dependent of the counterions. It was found that the conductivity stability of PANI–p‐TSA and PANI–CSA is the best below 200°C. When the doped PANI films were placed in air, their conductivity decrease slowly with time due to deproton, and also depends on the counterions. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 71: 615–621, 1999     

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.