In the present study, we report on the fabrication of hybrid composites of conductive silicone elastomer with TiO2/PANI-DBSA dispersion. The hybrid composites with conductive fillers, TiO2/PANI-DBSA, were prepared via an in-situ polymerization method with various TiO2 contents. The novel elastomer composites were prepared by dispersing TiO2/PANI-DBSA at room temperature in vulcanized silicone elastomers. The morphological, structural and electrical properties of TiO2/PANI-DBSA and their elastomer blends were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and electrical resistivity measurements. It was found that the electrical conductivity of the composite powder coated with about 20 wt.% PANI-DBSA was 46,000 (104) times higher than that of bare TiO2 powder. Also the electrical conductivity of the silicone elastomers composites of TiO2/PANI-DBSA were changed from 10−14 S/cm to 0.295S/cm (10 wt.% TiO2/PANI-DBSA). The novel elastomer composite had a percolation threshold between 1-3 wt.% PANI-DBSA.

Keywords: Polyaniline, Titania, Conductive elastomer, Percolation.