Synthesis and characterization of conducting polymer composites based on polyaniline-polyethylene glycol-zinc sulfide system

Hybrid semiconducting polymer composites containing polyaniline, polyethylene glycol and zinc sulfide have been prepared in various combinations by in-situ polymerization of aniline using ammonium per disulfate in acidic medium. A biomimetic approach of controlled precipitation has been used. A mechanism of formation of these hybrid materials has been suggested in which polyethylene glycol works as a medium for diffusion-limited growth of various components during their precipitation. These materials have been characterized by a variety of spectroscopic techniques, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and alternating current impedance spectroscopy. Equivalent circuits for different contributions from grain, grain boundary and electrode for different systems have been determined with the help of complex non-linear least square analysis software. The microstructure-property correlation have been discussed along with the possible conduction mechanisms from the temperature dependence of conductivity as variable-dimension variable-range hopping for different compositions of single, double and triple composite materials.