Preparation and characterization of conducting hydrogels composite made of polyaniline, polyacrylamide and kaolin

In this work, clay minerals such as kaolin particles were embedded within the network of poly(acrylamide) hydrogel (PAAm) using free radical solution polymerization method. Aniline monomer was absorbed in the network of PAAm/Kaolin composite hydrogel and followed using free radical solution polymerization at room temperature. The novel semi-interpenetrating network was comprised of linear polyaniline immersed in PAAm/Kaolin composite. Electrical conductivity of the hydrogels was measured using four-probe technique. The conductivity for the prepared new semi-interpenetrating polymer network (s-IPN) is found to be 1.1x10(-4) S.cm(-1). The s-IPN hydrogel systems were employed for swelling experiments in water. The drug uptake and release properties of the prepared hydrogels were also studied. Methylene Blue (MB) was selected as a model drug. The incorporation of Kaolin and PAN lead to an increase in electrostatic interaction between charge sites on carboxylate ions and cationic MB molecules. It is to be emphasized that the addition of Kaolin and PAN in the gel structure improved mechanical and electrical properties and the adsorption capability of the new composite hydrogels. (c) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and/or Peer-review under responsibility of 14th International Conference on Nanosciences & Nanotechnologies (NN17).