*3.3. SEM Analysis of PPy and PPy/GA Composites*

Figure 4 shows SEM images of pure PPy and PPy/GA 1–5 composites. As can be seen, the synthesized PPy appears to have a uniform granular structure that is agglomerated and

homogeneous in shape and size [35]. The pure PPy powder has an average grain size of ~0.72 μm. Pure PPy has a weakly porous morphology with a non-uniform pore size.

**Figure 4.** SEM images of (**A**) PPy, (**B**) PPy/GA 1, (**C**) PPy/GA 2, (**D**) PPy/GA 3, (**E**) PPy/GA 4, and (**F**) PPy/GA 5.

The morphology of PPy/GA 1 composite is radically different. The particles are irregular in size and shape at lower concentrations (0.125 percent) of GA in composites, as seen in Figure 4B. By raising the GA content to 0.75 percent, wool morphologies with elongated and linked particles were found in the micrometric range. The particles aggregate and form large-sized particles with no discernible morphology when the GA concentration is raised even further to 1% [36]. As a result, the presence of GA has a significant effect on the size and morphology of the resulting composite materials. The overall morphology of the composites appears to be more compact and mesoporous as compared to the pure PPy. Figure 4F shows that the surface of the synthesized nanocomposite is smoother than that of

PPy, which is most likely due to the hydration behavior effect of GA on PPy structure. As a result, their intrinsic viscosity and particles size are affected [36,37].
