Electrical conductivity of polyaniline/zeolite composites and synergetic interaction with CO

The effects of zeolite content, pore size and ion exchange capacity on electrical conductivity response to carbon monoxide (CO) of polyaniline/zeolite composites were investigated. Zeolite Y, 13X, and synthesized AlMCM41, all having the common cation Cu2+, were dry mixed with synthesized maleic acid (MA) doped polyaniline and compressed to form polyaniline (PANI)/zeolite pellet composites. The Y, 13X and AlMCM41 zeolite have the nominal pore sizes of 7, 10, 36 Å, and the Cu2+ exchange capacities of 0.161, 0.087, and 0.044 mol/g, respectively. With an addition of 13X zeolite to pristine polyaniline, the electrical conductivity sensitivity to CO/N2 gas increases with zeolite content. For the effect of zeolite type, the highest electrical conductivity sensitivity is obtained with the 13X zeolite, followed by the Y zeolite, and the AlMCM41 zeolite, respectively. Poor sensitivity of zeolite AlMCM41 is probably due to its very large pore size and its lowest Cu2+ exchange capacity. Y zeolite and 13X zeolite have comparable pore sizes but the latter has a greater pore free volume and a more favorable location distribution of the Cu2+ ions within the pore. The temporal response time increases with the amount of zeolite in the composites but it is inversely related to the amount of ion exchange capacity.