Open Access Conference Proceedings

Static electricity on the surface of dielectric polymers can be dangerous in various areas of human life. Antistatic agents reduce or eliminate accumulation of static electricity by creation a conductive layer on the polymer surface. The most known antistatic agents are surfactants. They increase surface conductivity by absorbing moisture from the air. But this effect is short-lived and depends on the temperature and air humidity. Modification of a thin surface layer of polymers by conductive polymer, e.g., polyaniline (PANi), is a promising method. In this work fragments of polyacrylic and polystyrenesulfonic acids were grafted onto the surface of polyethylene films before the synthesis of PANi. This technique allows to create long lasting antistatic effect. Synthesis of PANi on the modified polyethylene films was studied by optical spectroscopy. The autocatalytic character of this process was proved. Optimal synthesis conditions for obtaining homogeneous films were defined. The electrical characteristics of the obtained materials were measured. Thus, the possibility of synthesizing PANi on polyethylene films with incorporated fragments of sulfonated polystyrene or with its mixture with acrylic acid was demonstrated. The minimum sheet resistance of the modified PE film was achieved with the maximum content of styrene sulfonic acid. It was shown that the proposed technique is promising for the creation of antistatic coatings of polymers. The proposed method is also suitable for application of antistatic coatings on the inner surface of polymer containers of complex shape.

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