A novel poly(acrylic acid-g-gelatin)/graphite composite is synthesized by aqueous solution polymerization. Based on the electrical conductivity of graphite nanoplatelets and the absorbency of poly(acrylic acid-g-gelatin)/graphite, a novel conducting gel with a conductivity of 3.18 mS cm(-1) is prepared. The effects of synthesis parameters on the electrical conductivity of the gels are investigated in detail. An appended network structure model of the poly(acrylic acid-g-gelatin)/ graphite conducting gel is proposed. The conducting gel presents a high mechanical strength in cyclohexane, which is important for the gel applications. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 49:1871-1878, 2009. (C) 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers