Preparation of processible polyaniline-formate salt via emulsifier free inverted emulsion polymerization and its antistatic applications

For the first time, processible polyaniline salt was prepared by inverted emulsion polymerization pathway without using any emulsifier. Aniline oxidation with benzoyl peroxide, in the presence of formic acid, yields novel polyaniline-formate salt containing free formic acid (PANI salt), the latter being trapped due to agglomeration and the presence of cohesive forces between the acid molecules and polyaniline chains. The synthetic procedure, outlined above, constituted the basis for the preparation of PANI salt containing free formic acid. PANI salt was studied by complementary characterization methods: conductivity, FT-IR, XRD, XPS & TGA. PANI salt containing free formic acid turned out to be especially well suited for the fabrication of blends with poly(vinyl alcohol), showing a very low percolation threshold. This lowering of the percolation threshold was attributed to the plasticizing effect of polyvinyl alcohol molecules present in the polymer matrix.