Preparation parameters of polyaniline/polyvinyl chloride flexible wires for electrical conductivity performance analysis based on orthogonal arrays

A flexible polyaniline/polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polymer conductive wire was prepared using flexible PVC polymer as the substrate by the swelling – in-situ polymerization method, the line-shaped dents were pressed on the substrate by the thermodynamic pre-deformation treatment technology. Based on the orthogonal test method, the effects of five main influencing factors – swelling time (A), swelling temperature (B), oxidation temperature (C), oxidation time (D), and oxidant concentration (E) – on the conductivity of the prepared polyaniline/PVC conductive wire was investigated. The results of the orthogonal array testing were subjected to range analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the influencing factors, in terms of significance, follow the order of swelling temperature, oxidation time, swelling time, oxidation temperature, and oxidant concentration, with the optimal factor-level combination being A(2)B(2)C(2)D(2)E(2), which led to a desirable conductivity up to 1.19 × 10(−1) S/cm. In addition, the influence of different conductive line size characteristics on the molecular structure, microstructure, and conductivity of polyaniline/PVC flexible conductive wire was further studied. On the microstructure, as the line width increases, the infrared absorption intensity ratio of the quinone ring and the benzene ring in the polyaniline/PVC conductive wires gradually approaches 1. The microstructure, as the line width of the polyaniline/PVC conductive wire increases, the formed polyaniline gradually changes from flakes and granules to fibrous strips and entangles with each other to form a spatial network structure. The conductivity of the wire increases with the increase of its width up to 1.48 × 10(−1) S/cm.