SEBS/PPy.DBSA Blends: Preparation and Evaluation of Electromechanical and Dynamic Mechanical Properties

In this study, the electromechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of electrically conducting polymer blends were investigated. The blends were comprised poly(styrene-b-butylene-ran-ethylene-b-styrene) (SEBS) containing polypyrrole doped with dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (PPy.DBSA). The two types of PPy.DBSA (with and without an excess of DBSA) were blended with SEBS through the solution casting method at room temperature. The dynamic mechanical characterization of the SEBS/PPy.DBSA blends demonstrated that the use of PPy.DBSA with and without free DBSA molecules results in different degrees of interaction with the two phases of the SEBS copolymer matrix. The changes in the electrical conductivity of the blends during repeated pressure loading/unloading were investigated. The conducting SEBS/PPy.DBSA polymer blends exhibited an increase in the electrical conductivity on pressure loading and underwent a corresponding decrease on unloading. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 120: 351-359, 2011