Electrical and mechanical properties of self-supported hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-polyaniline conducting films.

The purpose of this work was to develop a simple method to produce self-supported films composed of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and polyaniline (PANI) by the direct mixture of aqueous dispersions of both polymers with subsequent drying. The addition of HPMC, a cellulose derivative with an excellent film-forming capacity, was fundamental to overcoming the poor processability of PANI, which impairs its use in many technological applications. All films showed conductivity in the order of 10 to 10 S cm, which is in the range for metals or semiconductors.