The effect of reaction medium on the conductivity and morphology of polyaniline doped with camphorsulfonic acid

• Polyaniline was chosen as conducting filler for lightning strike protection coatings.
• Polyaniline was doped with camphor sulphonic acid in m-cresol, NMP or DMSO.
• The effect of solvent on the morphology and conductivity of polyaniline was described.
• The conductivity was measured by four point probe and bipotentiostatic techniques.
• The applicability of chosen methods of conductivity measurements was evaluated.

Since commercial airliners are struck by lightning quite often during their operation, there is a need to elaborate new materials for lightning strike protection combining high conductivities with light weight. Conducting polymers are thought to be one of the most promising compounds that can be used for this application. From a variety of commercially available conducting polymers, polyaniline, PANI, fits criteria of chemical stability, appropriate conductivity and density the best. The aim of this study is to find the optimal conditions of the process of polyaniline doping with camphor sulphonic acid, CSA, to obtain the material that can be used as a conducting filler for lightning strike protection coatings. We present the comparison of physicochemical properties of polyaniline films doped in the presence of m-cresol, N-methyl-2-pyrolidone and dimethylsulfoxide, respectively. The morphology of obtained PANI/CSA films is characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy equipped with 3D roughness reconstruction software. The applicability of two methods of conductivity measurements, i.e. four point probe and bipotentiostatic techniques, is evaluated in respect to PANI/CSA films of various morphology.

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