Preparation of conducting polyacrylonitrile/polyaniline composite films by electrochemical synthesis and their electroactivity

Electrically conducting polyacrylonitrile (PAN/polyaniline (PAn) composite film was prepared by electrochemical polymerization of aniline on the PAN-coated Pt working electrode in the acetonitrile/water mixture solution. For the dissociation of electrolyte (acid) and the transportation of aniline and electrolyte ions through PAN to working electrode, acetonitrile (50%)/water (50%) was the optimum composition of the mixture solution in the preparation medium. The maximum peak current was obtained with sulfuric acid as an electrolyte. The electrical conductivity of PAN/PAn composite film peeled off from the Pt electrode was around 10(-1) S/cm. This value is one-order of magnitude higher than the conductivity of PAN/polypyrrole composite film prepared by the same method. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.