Conducting Polymer / Clay Composites: Preparation and Characterization

Abstract

The conducting polypyyrole-montmorillonite clay (PPy/MMT) composites were prepared using 2 : 1 mole ratio of FeCl3 / pyrrole with various percentages of MMT clay in aqueous medium. The prepared samples were subjected to structural, thermal and morphological characterizations and d.c. conductivity measurement. The conductivity increased from 3.090 × 10–2 S/cm to 1.370 × 10–1 S/cm with the increase in the percentage of clay from 0.2 % to 1.0 %. The surface morphology of the prepared composite is denser and more compact. The X-ray diffraction result for PPY/MMT showed the intercalation of PPy polymer between the clay layers. The FT-IR result shows the successful incorporation of montmorillonite clay in the prepared PPy/MMT clay composite.