Synthesis and Characterization of PANi/PVA Nanofibers with Variation of Nozzle to Collector Distance Using Electrospinning Method

Fumaric acid doped polyaniline was confirmed by FTIR as a sample of polyaniline emeraldine salt phase. This study aims to determine the value of the electrical conductivity of PANi/PVA with variations in distance. The electrospinning method was carried out on a PANi/PVA solution to form polyaniline nanofibers. The electrospinning solution used a percent ratio of 1:1 PANi/PVA (10%) with variations in the distance of the nozzle to the collector, namely 13 cm, 15 cm, and 17 cm. The morphological characterization and fiber properties obtained from electrospinning were characterized using FTIR, optical microscopy, and SEM-EDX. The number of fibers decreases and becomes finer as the distance increases. Fiber decreased in number due to evaporation of PVA. The diameter comparisons obtained from PANi/PVA fiber and pure PVA fiber are 263 nm and 240 nm. So the PANi/PVA fiber diameter is slightly larger than that of the PVA fiber. Electrical conductivity was carried out using the four-point probe method. The electrical conductivity value from the measurement of the best PANi/PVA sample is 1.39 × 10-6 S/cm at a distance of 15 cm with the best fiber shape.