The advent of nanotechnology has great implications in
revolutionizing the arena of polymer nanocomposites. The
synergistic features of both the polymer and the nanomaterial
such as low cost, ease of preparation, and versatility in the
structure and composition forge the design of an avant-garde
genre of materials.1 Polymers are inherently insulating and thus
cannot dissipate the static electric charge buildup on their
surfaces which may otherwise lead to attraction of dusts and
electrostatic hazards like electric shocks. The control of buildup
of static electric charges has been driving industries over many
years. The interest in antistatic materials combined with
desirable properties such as acceptable rheological behavior,
adequate mechanical strength, and high thermal stability may
be an apt choice for their uses in various applications. The
continuous search for antistatic materials has urged on the need
to modify existing polymers to meet the requirements. The
conventional antistatic additives such as carbon black,2 1-ntetradecyl-
3-methylimidazolium bromide,3 carbon fibers,4 and
metal particles5 suffer from limitations such as high cost,
blushing problems, and blooming problems together with the
moisture dependency, which in turn reduces the antistatic
action during the active service lifetime.6 The inclusion of
appropriate conductive materials is one of the potent
techniques that augments the desired electrical properties of
pristine polymers and reduces the sheet resistivities to the range
105−106 Ω/sq.7 Tremendous research in the field of
conducting polymers, one area of potent antistatic materials,
led to the discovery of polyaniline. The polyaniline (PAni)
nanofiber carves an alcove amidst the genre of π-conjugated
polymers owing to its low cost, environmental stability, and
ease of doping by protonation.8,9 Also, the reduction in size of
conductive materials from macro to nano results in the
abatement of the percolation threshold in terms of amount
together with the enhancement of other desired properties of
pristine polymers.10 The inclusion of conductive nanomaterials
in an insulating polymer imparts a precipitous drop in the
electrical resistivity depending on the aspect ratio and
distribution of the same. Moreover, among the various aspects
of nanotechnology, nanofiber technology, wherein fibrous
materials are fabricated at the nanoscale regime, is an emerging
field of research interest. Thus the PAni nanofiber can serve as a
conductive nanomaterial to impart the improvement in the
dissipation of the electrostatic charges of the pristine polymeric
matrix. Oviedo et al. showed that incorporation of 30 wt %
PAni−organoclay nanohybrid into the EPDM rubber/PAni−
organoclay nanohybrid nanocomposite resulted in the electrical
resistivity of 105 Ω/cm.7