Synthesis, Characterization and study of electrical conductivity and thermogravimetric analysis of conducting polymer composites with fly ash

Abstract

Fly ash or flue ash, also known as pulverized fuel ash, is a coal combustion product that is composed of the particulates (fine particles of burned fuel) that are driven out of coal-fired boilers together with the flue gases. The composite materials of fly ash have a good characteristic of withstanding wear resistance, hardness and tensile strength. Due to less weight and good strength, composite materials perform an essential role in the engineering field. Conducting polymer composites of polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole (PPy) and polyethylene dioxythiophene with different dielectrics and fly ash can be synthesized by various methods. These composites of conducting polymer have extended their sphere and presently finding their usage in Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) shielding technology. Current research deals with the study of synthesis and electrical conductivity and thermogravimetric analysis of conductive polymer composites (polyaniline and polypyrrole) with fly ash. Clean and pure fly ash procured from Chandrapur super thermal power station was characterized for Ash content, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy later used for the synthesis of polyaniline and polypyrrole composites. The fly ash composites were tested for X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results of developed composites of fly ash demonstrated that the composites have good electrical and thermal conductivity with fly ash.