Multifunctional Stimuli-Responsive Polyaniline-Based Conductive Composite Film

There is a growing demand for multifunctional materials that can meet the increasingly complex needs of modern society. The combination of functionalization and intellectualization promotes the development of multifunctional smart materials. These materials are not only required to possess excellent basic properties, but also need to integrate multiple functions to adapt to various application scenarios. In this study, a simple solution co-blending method for preparing a polyaniline-based multifunctional conductive composite film was proposed. This methodology employs polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a stimuli-responsive matrix, combined with polyaniline (PANI) serving as a functional component, while glutaraldehyde (GA) acts as the crosslinking agent. This PANI-based composite film overcomes the disadvantage that PANI does not easily form a uniform film. The maximum conductivity of this film can reach 0.034 S·cm−1. It is worth noting that the combination of PANI with the stimuli-responsive PVA film resulted in a composite film that not only retained good electrical conductivity, but also exhibited multiple stimuli-responsive properties. These stimuli-responsive properties can be controlled by external stimuli such as heat, voltage, light, or water. The PANI-based composite film could recover its original shape within 25 s when the applied voltage reached 30 V. These characteristics open up possibilities of potential applications where controlled deformation is desired.