Characterization of Luffa-reinforced Polyaniline Films

Herein, Polyaniline (PANI)/polyethylene oxide (PEO) - luffa cylindrica bio-composite films of various mass fractions (%) have been prepared via casting solution of emeraldine base polyaniline and cellulose extracted from luffa. The biopolymer films were structurally and thermally characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fournier Transform-InfraRed (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry analysis (DSC). Moreover, the electrical properties of conductive biopolymer solutions were measured by using the conductivity meter. According to the obtained results, treated luffa increases the conductivity of biopolymers. XRD results reveal that luffa increases the crystallinity of bio-composite films in comparison to PANI/PEO films. FTIR analysis proved the presence of functional groups of PANI, PEO, and luffa in the film structure. Also, an increase in the weight of luffa in the bio-composite film brings about an increase in the peak intensities of the O-H group. It is determined that luffa enhances the thermal stability of composites via the results of DSC analysis.