Castor Oil Based Hyperbranched Poly(ester amide)/Polyaniline Nanofiber Nanocomposites as Antistatic Materials

Abstract

Biobased hyperbranched poly­(ester amide) (HBPEA)/polyaniline (PAni) nanofiber nanocomposites were prepared by incorporating the as-synthesized PAni nanofiber at varied weight percentages by an ex situ polymerization technique. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analyses indicated the interactions of the benzenoid–quinoid moieties of PAni with HBPEA. The transition from liquidlike to solidlike behavior of the nanocomposites with a percolation threshold at 10 wt % nanofiber content was studied using dynamic rheology. The formation of nanofibrous network within the HBPEA matrix as vouched for by TEM study and initial degradation temperature (from 277 to 307 °C) was found to be increased with the increment of nanofiber content. The evaluation of mechanical properties such as tensile strength (7.2–12.25 MPa), elongation at break (88–70%), impact resistance (>100 cm), and scratch hardness (8.5–10 kg) together with the decrease in the sheet resistance (from 10⁷ to 10⁵ Ω/sq) forwarded the epoxy–poly­(amido amine) cured nanocomposites as prospective antistatic materials