Development of Polyaniline/Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PANI/PVP) Composite Films for Piezoresistive Strain-Sensing Applications

In this work, a novel study is reported to measure the strain-sensing properties of PANI/PVP conductive thermoplastic composite with varying concentrations of dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid-doped polyaniline (DBSA-PANI). Solution mixing for thermoplastic polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and DBSA-doped polyaniline has been adopted. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) investigated the interaction between the composite film components. Thermal stability for PANI/PVP composite films is verified by a thermogravimetric analyzer. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is studied for charge conduction properties. The electrical conductivity and strain-dependent conductivity behavior of these composites are studied. Results revealed that with the increasing concentration of DBSA-PANI, the conductivity of PVP-PANI composite films is acutely affected. Herein, sensitivity improved with DBSA-PANI loading. The piezoresistive properties of PANI/PVP sensors exhibit considerable recovery and repeatability for 10 cycles up to a strain of 30%. The composite film with 10% PANI loading illustrated a gauge factor of 3.13. 3.14, and 3.26 for 10%, 20%, and 30% strain respectively.