Effect of glycerol on electrical conducting of chitosan/polyaniline blends

Abstract Chitosan (Cs) and polyaniline (PANI) were studied in this article for possible application as conductive and flexible films. Cs is a biodegradable polymer, that presents interesting properties as film applications. Otherwise, PANI is a semiconductor polymer with a wide range of applications. The films were produced by casting adding 30% glycerol and glutaraldehyde. The morphology, thermally, chemical structure, and electrical properties of films were obtained. Results showed the casting technique becomes possible to obtain self‐standing films, with a chemical structure identical to precursor materials. Glutaraldehyde reacted to amine groups of terminal PANI chains, acting in the increase of electric conductivity and decrease of sheet resistance. The plasticizing effect of glycerol increased the spacing between Cs chains and facilitated the PANI dispersion. Therefore, glycerol and glutaraldehyde proved to be extremely efficient in increasing the electrical conductivity of blends.