Specific interactions and charge transport in ternary PVDF/polyaniline/MWCNT nanocomposite films

Abstract This paper reveals the specificity of morphology, structure and electrical properties of the new compression-molded ternary nanocomposite films based on polyaniline (PANI) doped with plasticizing dopant dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), which are distributed in the dielectric matrix of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). We find that this specificity appears not only due to sum of the properties of the components but also to their physical-chemical interactions. The strong influence of such interactions on the nanocomposites properties is well confirmed by Raman spectroscopy analysis of oxidation level, quantity of polarons, bipolarons and phenazine defects of the doped PANI component in binary PVDF/PANI and ternary PVDF/PANI/MWCNT nanocomposite films with 1 wt% or 10 wt% of MWCNT. Based on conductivity measurements of these films in a wide temperature range (4.2–300 K) we conclude that mechanisms of their conductivity depend on both the specific interactions and the MWCNT content. The effect of MWCNT on the electrical properties of ternary nanocomposites is more pronounced at low temperatures.