One-dimensional nanofibers of polyindene: synthesis and characterization

Abstract

In the present investigation, we have synthesized one-dimensional (1D) polyindene (PIn) nanofibers and explored their optical, spectral, chemical as well as thermal stability properties. The PIn nanofibers were synthesized using a cationic polymerization reaction of indene with sulphuric acid. The morphological details of synthesized PIn have been studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) which reveals the formation of smooth and uniform 1D nanofibers of PIn with diameter of ~100 nm. The composition of PIn nanofibers was determined by elemental analysis and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. The structural chemical identity of PIn nanofibers was examined using uv-visible (UV-Vis), fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic measurements. UV-Vis absorption spectroscopic study of PIn nanostructures shows a band at 325 nm, attributed to the formation of indanyl and dimer cation, which helped in growing the PIn molecular chain. Fluorescence emission spectrum of PIn nanofibers was obtained in blue light region with the emission band λmax placed at 430 nm. The thermal stability characteristics of PIn nanofibers studied using thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) suggest that PIn nanofibers are stable upto 200 °C. The electrical conductivity (EC) of PIn nanofibers at the room temperature is 1.73 x10−4 S/cm. The work proposes technological applications of PIn nanofibers in the field of nanoscience, especially in optoelectronics.