EFFECT OF HEAT TREATMENT ON CONDUCTIVITY OF DOPED POLY(ANILINE) (PANI)/GRAPHENE OXIDE (GO) COMPOSITES

The composite prepared from polyaniline (PANI) doped with dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) and grapheme oxide (GO) is expected to be a new transparent conductive material due to the electronic interaction between them. The PANI/GO thin film composite with 50 wt% GO (GO/(GO+PANI)=0.5) heat-treated over 150 degrees C for 1 hour in the air exhibited much higher conductivity than PANI and GO respectively (PANI/GO: 3.2x10(-2) Omega.cm, PANI: 4.1x10 Omega.cm, GO: 3.6 Omega.cm). Therefore the effects of GO (or PANI) content and heat-treatment temperature on the conductivity of PANI/GO thin film composites were studied in detail. The conductivity of PANI/GO thin film composites increased with PANI content and heat-treatment temperature. Measurements of UV-VIS spectra and zeta-potential of PANI/GO/water dispersion suggested the presence of chemical and physical interaction between PANI and GO in the dispersion. However the conductivity enhancement of PANI/GO thin film composites is due not to such interaction, but to DBSA contained as a dopant in PANI, which promotes the reduction of GO to rGO (reduced type GO) with more C=C(sp(2)) bond at a higher temperature.