3.3. TEM Study. Figure 2 shows the dispersion scenario of
PAni nanofiber in HBPEA matrix. The HBPEA thermoset
(Figure 2a) exhibited a smooth surface morphology. The
prepared PAni exhibited a nanofibrillar morphology with an
average diameter and length of around 30−35 nm and 300 nm,
respectively (Figure S1 in the Supporting Information). An
increment in the connectivity between the nanofibers within
the polymer matrix was observed with the increase of PAni
nanofiber content in the nanocomposites. The continuous
formation of nanofibrous network was more prominent in
HBPEAP10 (Figure 2d) and HBPEAP12.5 (Figure 2e), while
HBPEAP12.5 showed the occurrence of agglomeration of the
nanofiber in the polymer matrix. Fiji software was used to infer
the preferred orientation of PAni nanofiber in the polymer matrix. The software computes a histogram which indicates the
amount of nanofiber in a given direction in HBPEAP10. The
highest peak of the histogram was fitted by a Gaussian function,
taking into account its periodic nature. From this computational
analysis it can be inferred that the nanocomposite with
completely isotropic nanofiber content is expected to give a flat
histogram, whereas the one with a preferred orientation is
expected to give a histogram with a peak at that orientation.
Figure 2f shows that a proportion of about 25% of the PAni
nanofibers in the HBPEA matrix have a preferred orientation at
an angle of 56°, with a few percent around −30°. The
increasing connectivity between the PAni nanofibers in the
polymer improved the charge transport, which is evident from
the antistatic property study.