Intrinsically conducting polymers have been studied extensively due to their intriguing electronic and redox properties and numerous potential applications. To improve and extend their functions, the fabrication of multifunctional conducting polymer nanocomposites has attracted a great deal of attention with the advent of nanoscale dimension. In this paper we report the comparative study of nanocomposite synthesized by an in-situ oxidative polymerization of aniline monomer in the presence of functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) with that of pure polyaniline (PANI). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) are employed to characterize the pure PANI and the PANI-CNT nanocomposite. XRD and SEM reveal the homogeneous coating of PANI onto the CNT indicating that carbon nanotubes were well dispersed in polymer matrix. The interaction between the quinoid ring of PANI and the MWCNT causes PANI chains to be adsorbed at the surface of MWCNT, thus forming a tubular core surrounding the MWCNT was confirmed from FTIR. Nanocomposite shows high electrical conductivity compared to pure PANI. The enhancement in conductivity of the nanocomposite is due to the charge transfer effect from the quinoid rings of the PANI to the MWCNT. The effect of MWCNT on the transport properties of PANI in the form of the transport parameters such as charge localization length, most probable hopping distance and charge hopping energy in the temperature range 300-430 K was also studied.

No abstract

In this paper we report the synthesis and characterization of nanofibers of titanium-dioxide (TiO 2 ) intercalated polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites at room temperature in air at relative humidity of 60% by electrospinning technique. The as-prepared nanofibers were characterized using UV-VIS, FTIR, SEM and XRD. Optical absorbance revealed the shifting of the characteristic peaks for PANI, which may be due to presence of titanium dioxide in PANI matrix. FTIR spectra show the presence of Ti-O-Ti vibrational peak and characteristic vibrational peaks of PANI indicating the interaction of TiO 2 particles with PANI. SEM micrographs revealed the formation of fibers with the diameter less than 200nm. XRD patterns showed the characteristic peaks not only for PANI but also for rutile phase of TiO 2 particles proving the existence of TiO 2 particles within the composites. The as-prepared nanofibers of TiO 2 intercalated PANI nanocomposites when exposed to CO 2 gas (1000 ppm) at room temperature; it was found that the resistance of the nanocomposites was increased from their respective unexposed values. The nanofibers of TiO 2 intercalated PANI nanocomposites were found to be good materials for CO 2 gas sensor even at room temperature as compared to that of pure TiO 2 .

No abstract

No abstract