Studies of Electrospun Polyaniline(PANI)‐Graphene/PS Composite Fibers

ABSTRACT Fiber‐based materials are extremely important from a practical and basic standpoint. Nanofiber is a popular material in many disciplines, including biological applications such as drug administration and scaffold construction, due to its combination of high specific area, flexibility, and great directional strength. A polyaniline (PANI)‐graphene nanocomposite is blended with high molecular weight polystyrene (PS), and the resulting solution is electrospun to get non‐woven nanofibers. Structural characterization has been done by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and FTIR. The fiber obtained is of good crystallinity as evidenced by the intense XRD peaks. While FTIR spectra reveal the presence of functional groups originating from PANI, PS, and graphene. High‐resolution transmission electron microscopy further confirmed the well‐dispersed graphene sheets embedded within the PANI/PS matrix and showed uniform lattice fringes, demonstrating the ordered arrangement and interfacial compatibility between the components at the nanoscale. The morphology is analyzed using a scanning electron micrograph (SEM). The SEM micrographs reveal smooth fibers with several millimeters in length and average diameters in the range of 653 nm. The thermal behavior of polyaniline‐graphene/PS fibers was studied using the TGA method in an attempt to find the best processing conditions. It shows a typical three‐step weight loss behavior. Optical studies are carried out with UV–Visible spectra and photoluminescence studies. The UV–vis spectra reveal the quantum confinement effect in the PANI‐graphene/PS nanofibers. The composite fibers have a wide band gap energy compared to the early reported PANI film. Intense photoluminescence emission peaks of PANI‐graphene/PS fiber are around 468 nm. A blue shift of nearly 50 nm in the emission peaks can be observed in the PL spectra. Studies point to the possibility of using the as‐prepared fibers for biomedical applications.