STUDY OF CONDUCTING POLYMERS FOR SYNTHESIS AND SENSING OF POLYANILINE

Introduction:My project involves study and synthesis of polyaniline (a conducting polymer) & its applications for gas and humidity sensing. These conducting polymers have a wide range of applications in many fields and hence the usage is fast increasing and replacing metals and woods. Also being inexpensive and abundantly available the usages are ever increasing. Scope nd App!ic tion o" conductin# po!$%er&:!. "ensors for gas and humidity. #. $hemical and biochemical sensors. %. &lectrodes for batteries. '. (uel cell and capacitors. ). &lectrochromic. Ai% o" &tud$:The aims and objectives set for the project report are*+ !. "tudy of conducting polymers. #. "ynthesis of polyaniline (,ani) by using chemical and electrochemical methods. %. ,reparation of sample. '. $haracterisation of prepared material using different techni-ues. ). To study effect of different gases and humidity on prepared samples. E!ectroc'e%ic ! &$nt'e&i& o" P ni:&lectrochemical cell is employed in solvent with additives ma.es the electrolytic solution. $athode and anode are suitably setup in the cell and constant current is passed through the solution for a particular time. The polymer film is developed on wor.ing electrode (a stainless steel plate). The samples of ,ani film of different concentrations of /#"0' were prepared and used for characteri1ation C'e%ic ! &$nt'e&i&:-

/ere a-ueous solution of aniline hydrochloride and ammonium per sulphate were mixed and ,ani /ydrochloride precipitate was filtered and dried and used to ma.e pellets of polyaniline. Re din#&( Gr p' nd )rd:The pellets and sample films were used to detect sensing properties of this material. 2eadings and graph of these sample pellets as humidity and gas (ammonia) sensors have been reported in the project. Also the 3+4 characteristics of the different samples have been reported since it is a conducting polymer. 5rd techni-ue was used to find grain si1e if doped (copper sulphate as dopant) and undoped sample. Re&u!t:!. (rom readings and graph for ammonia sensing it was found that ,ani changes its resistance with respect to humidity of ammonia. /ence would be good sensor for ammonia. #. 3t acts as a good sensor of water vapour content in air as resistance value do change when steam is passed through the chamber. %. (rom 3+4 characteristic it was found that polyaniline is a good conductor and with change in molarity (acid) conductivity changes. '. (rom 5rd data grain si1e was !'nm for undoped sample and !6nm for doped sample was calculated. Future &cope:(rom the results it follows that polyaniline is good conductor and good sensor. Though this project involves sensing of humidity of ammonia only there is further hope that it can be used as sensor for other gases. /umidity measurements have become increasingly important in this industriali1ed world specially since it has been recogni1ed that humidity has significant effect in the -uality of product safety cost and health. ,olymers being cheap and expensively available can be effectively and economically used to replace metals which are bul.y and expensive relatively. Today gas sensors have become an increasing trend as they are being used by environmentalists and meteorological centers for chec.ing the levels of different gases. ,ani can be blended with some other dopants to increase its efficiency in such applications and these might become more stable to humidity proving useful in technological and medical field. This project is a beginner7s attempt towards studying and developing some smart material. Though there are no concrete results 3 sincerely feel that there is much scope in this .ind of research and a lot can be done with persistent research.

This is just the beginning 3 feel.