Abstract
This study focuses on the pressure sensitivity of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)/polyaniline (Pani) composites prepared through in situ polymerization of aniline in solutions of insulating EVA matrix. It is found that both DC and AC resistivity of the composites decreases with the increase in Pani concentration. The investigation shows that the composites senses to applied pressure through the decrease in resistivity with the increase in applied pressure. Moreover, the pressure sensitivity is also effective when the composites are kept under constant load for a period of time. Both DC and AC resistivity are found to decrease exponentially with respect to time. Relaxation time for the composites has been calculated and found that more time is required to be relaxed for the composite with lower Pani content. However, the composite with lower Pani content exhibits relatively higher change in electrical properties when subjected to both the applied pressure and time. The results show that these composites can be used as pressure sensitive sensor. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 128: 161-168, 2013