Properties of polyaniline/graphene oxide (PANI/GO) composites: effect of GO loading

Polyaniline/graphene oxide (PANI/GO) composites at different wt% of GO were prepared via solution method. PANI was mixed with the GO synthesized from the improved Hummer’s method. The formation of GO was confirmed via Raman and C/O ratio. Based on the FT-IR, XRD and SEM results, it confirmed the presence of both PANI and GO characteristics at 10.9°, 25.8° and 27.8° and interactions between PANI and GO particles in PANI/GO composites at different GO loading. SEM micrographs showed a folding and wrinkled surface of GO due to the defect upon oxidation process. This means that the weak π–π interactions or the agglomeration of GO have caused PANI unable to attach on the large conjugated basal planes of GO sheets. The defective domains made GO as an insulator as it contained distortions and oxygen-containing functional groups and their local decoration. Low-conductivity domain had conquered most of the GO region which later reduced the pathway of the current flow; therefore, conductivity is affected. The wrinkled structure also resulted in the low conductivity as it weakens the interfacial interaction between PANI and GO and thus disrupted the electron movement in the composites. Due to this, the electrical conductivity reached up to 1.83 × 10⁻¹⁰ S/cm as the GO loading increased to 50 wt%.