Morphological studies of polyaniline nanocomposite based mesostructured TiO2 nanowires as conductive packaging materials

Abstract

Polyaniline (PAni) nanocomposites were prepared via in situ emulsion polymerization using dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) as an emulsifier and doping agent in the presence of titanium dioxide nanowires (TiO2-NWs). Firstly, TiO2 nanoparticles (P25) were converted to TiO2 nanowires through a hydrothermal process using 10% NaOH, subsequently the TiO2-NWs were dispersed in a DBSA solution. After, the aniline monomer was added and the polymerization occurred on the addition of ammonium persulfate as an initiator in the absence of any added acid. The ratio of TiO2-NWs in the nanocomposites varied from 5 to 15 wt%. The tubular morphology and crystalline structure of the prepared PAni/TiO2 nanocomposites were analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Furthermore, the prepared nanocomposites have been characterized using different spectroscopic methods such as UV-visible spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The thermal stability of the nanocomposites was characterized using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In addition, the AC-conductivity of the prepared PAni/TiO2 nanocomposites was evaluated. The prepared nanocomposites can be used as conductive packaging materials.