Mechanical, Rheological and Computational Study of PVP/PANI with Additives

Polyvinylpyrrolidone/polyaniline emeraldine salt (PVP/PANI) with additives (TiO2, ZnO, NaCl, and Na2SO4) was synthesized via oxidative in situ polymerization. Because of using PVP/PANI as a protective membrane layer and its applications in an electrical device, we investigated the mechanical and rheological properties of PVP/PANI and other composites in order to spread the application of this composite. Mechanical properties of PVP/PANI, PVP/PANI/TiO2, PVP/PANI/ZnO, PVP/PANI/NaCl, and PVP/PANI/Na2SO4 films were studied using the tensile test to obtain tensile strength, elongation at the break, and Young’s modulus. To gain some comprehensive information, rheometry tests were implemented and the storage modulus, loss modulus, and complex viscosity were measured. Interactions between additives and polymers were investigated by NBO analysis. Results from experimental and computational methods show that TiO2, ZnO, and Na2SO4 increase the interactions in the polymer matrix, respectively. However, NaCl weakens these interactions