Aligned electrospun nanofiber poly(lactic acid) mats coated with conductive polyaniline: Anisotropy of electrical conductivity

Conductive mats of polylactic acid/polyaniline PLLA/PANI aligned nanofibers are prepared starting from aligned nanofiber mats of PLLA. The average DC-conductivity of the composite mats is 0.18±0.02S.cm−1 in the parallel direction of fibers and 0.03±0.004S.cm−1 in the perpendicular direction. In comparison with published DC-conductivity values of PANI nanofiber composite or blend mats with PLLA or with other polymers, the current mats exhibit good DC-conductivity values and better anisotropy of electrical conductivity. The study of aging effect on the DC-conductivity reveals an exponential decrease with a characteristic time of τ≈9 weeks. The electrical impedance spectroscopy shows an ohmic and capacitive behavior of the composite mat.