Novel ductile polyaniline/sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) composites

Thermally stable, ductile, and electrically conductive composite films made from sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) (BPS) and polyaniline emeraldine base (PANI) were prepared. Tensile tests were conducted for both dry and fully hydrated composite films, and the BPS copolymer. The composite films were as ductile and tough as the neat supportive matrix with up to 20 wt% PANI loading. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that the 20 wt% PANI-containing composite films had better thermal stability than the unfilled BPSH supportive matrix, which reinforced the PANI quite well.