Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)/montmorillonite (MMT) clay nanocomposites were prepared for the first time, by exchanging exchangeable cations in the MMT interlayer with Ce(IV) followed by insertion of ethylenedioxythiophene monomer to result in spontaneous polymerization to give PEDOT—Ce(III)—MMT nanocomposites. The nanocomposites thus prepared were characterized by electrochemical methods, elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and in situ conductivity measurements. Cyclic voltammograms of PEDOT—Ce(III)—MMT in 0.1 M H2SO 4 on glassy carbon electrode shows characteristics redox behavior that appear in Ce(IV)/Ce(III) and in Ce(IV)—MMTunder identical conditions together with typical electrochemical behavior of PEDOT. Further XRD results confirm that PEDOT has been intercalated within the MMT interlayer and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis implies that the organics are in their electronically conducting polymer form with significant electronic conductivity. As such, these nanocomposites may find applications in rechargeable batteries and photovoltaic devices as electrode materials and as antistatic coatings for electrical appliances.
Various polymer materials incorporated into the interlayer spaces of montmorillonite (MMT) has received a great dealofattention in the research field of clay-polymer nanocomposites. This is due to the dramatic enhancements in physical properties, such as thermal and mechanical properties, of such nanocomposites compared to their parent materials. Inthis paper, the thermal behavior of montmorillonite-polyaniline nanocomposites is analyzed in a wide range of temperatures (30–1000°C) by the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Inair, the thermal degradation of polyaniline (PANI) (chemically polymerized) starts at 255°C, whereas that in Na+-intercalated MMT-polyaniline and in Ce(IV)-intercalated MMT-polyaniline nanocomposites start at 290 and 330°C, respectively. This improvement in the thermal stability of PANI in the nanocomposites is attributed to the presence of polyaniline in the nano-scaled MMT interlayer spaces in a high aspect ratio where the MMT layers are acting as barriers protecting PANI from degradation. XRD, SEM, and FT-IR data support this conclusion. Better stability of polyaniline in Ce(IV)-intercalated MMT may be due the formation of ordered well-aligned polymer only within the inter-galleries of MMT with a high aspect ratio. In the case of Na+-MMT-polyaniline nanocomposites the polymer is present within the interlayer spaces as well as in the exfoliate form and hence lower thermal stability of polyaniline when compared to that in Ce(IV)-intercalated nanocomposites.
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