A Study of Thermal Stability and Electromaganetic Shielding Behavior of Polyaniline-P-Toluene Sulfonic Acid/Montmorillonite Nanocomposites

Intrinsically conductive polymer-Polyaniline had high conductivity and many other properties, such as environmental stability and rather simple synthesis. In addition, doping with organic acids could enhance its processing, so it had wide range of applications, such as solar cells, antistatic and electromagnetic interference shielding. In this study, the organic amine 1-Dodecylamine (DOA) modification of sodium montmorillonite (NA+-MMT), and conducting polymer / layered silicate salt nanocomposites (PANI-PTSA/DOA-MMT) had been prepared by doping aniline with organic acid (PTSA), then added organic clay. The thermal, electrical properties and EMI effects of nanocomposites had discussed by XRD, TEM, EMI, TGA analysis, conduction measure and EMI tested. The results indicated the organo-clay interlayer distance expanded from 1.29 to 1.8 nm, and DOA-MMT dispersed in the material, that formed an exfoliated nanocomposite. The thermal stability of nanocomposites depended on content of DOA-MMT, material had the better thermal stability when DOA-MMT load was 5 wt. %. The nanocomposites had the best conductivity when DOA-MMT load was 1 wt. % as well as the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness was increase with increase in conductivity. In addition, the electromagnetic shielding of nanocomposites also depended on thickness and frequency of electromagnetic wave, the electromagnetic shielding was increased with increase in thickness and frequency.