Composites of Polyindole nanowires within Silicate and Aluminosilicate hosts with distinct conductive properties

Abstract

Nanostructured silicate SBA-15 and aluminosilicate AlSBA-15 were synthesized in order to prepare polyindole composites. The Silica mesoporous materials were prepared by sol- gel method and alumination using post-synthesis technique and analysed by different methods (XRD, BET, TEM, and FTIR). Polyindole/host composites were prepared by in situ oxidative polymerization of pre-adsorbed indole, employing Cl3Fe as oxidant. TG, FTIR, BET, XRD, SEM and TEM were used to characterize the resulting composites. These studies show that the porous structures of the materials are preserved after polymerization, and polyindole is found within the porous channels. The composites have an electrical conductivity range between values higher than those of the pure chemically synthesized polyindole, close to those of the pure electrochemically synthesized polymer and lower than those of the pure chemically synthesized polymer, in the order of 10-8 S/cm.