Synthesis and characterization of PANI-Co/PC nanocomposite: Gamma induced changes in the structure and thermal properties

The induced alterations in the structure and thermal properties of polyaniline-cobalt/polycarbonate, PANI-Co/PC, nanocomposite (NCP) owing to γ irradiation have been investigated. The chemical composition and morphology of the prepared NCP samples were studied using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectrometry technique. Additionally, X-ray diffraction (XRD), FTIR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) were performed to investigate the resulted effect of γ radiation. The γ radiation with doses 50–350 kGy leads to the prevalence of intermolecular crosslinking which enhances the disordered phase and increases the bonds between the hydrogen of the PANI amine groups and carbonyl groups of PC. This is reflected in a rise in the degradation temperature values from 400 to 475 °C indicating an improvement in the thermostability of the NCP samples. Additionally, the melting temperature increased from 350 to 361 °C indicating a more compact structure of the NCP samples.