Polyaniline: Doping and Functionalization with Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Photovoltaic and Photocatalytic Application.

Mariem Saoudi,Abdullah A Alotaibi,Eid M Alosime,Boubaker Zaidi,Ridha Ajjel,M.G Althobaiti

doi:10.3390/polym13162595

Abstract

Polyaniline (PANI) was chemically doped and functionalized with single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Various characterization methods were employed to study the structure and optical properties of PANI/SWCNTs nanocomposite, such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical absorption, and stationary photoluminescence. Additionally, a theoretical study using density functional theory calculations was also carried out. It has been demonstrated that the doping process may reduce the band gap without affecting the molecular structure, leading to a better compatibility with the solar spectrum. Moreover, the functionalization process with SWCNTs was able to significantly improve the properties of the resulting nanocomposite. The final interpenetrating network of PANI/SWCNTs exhibited an optical gap of nearly 2.28 eV, from which localized states induced by the charge transfer were created at nearly 1.70 eV. In addition, the resulting donor–acceptor network leads to a separation of electron holes pairs rather than their recombination, which can be used as an active layer in photovoltaic applications and a photocatalyst for advanced oxidation processes.

Highlights

A significant number of works have been focused on exploiting the properties of nanoparticles [1]
Spectra show that the same bands are found after doping but the band intensity and positions are changed (Table 1), demonstrating that the material skeleton is conserved
The results demonstrate that reactive sites for the grafting of SWCNTs located around nitrogen

Summary

Introduction

A significant number of works have been focused on exploiting the properties of nanoparticles [1]. New nano-structured materials with improved properties can be elaborated by inserting nanoparticles into the organic matrix [2,3]. Polymer materials are widely studied as active layers for electronic devices where the majority of handicaps are related to their fragility and their limited operation lifetime. The addition of the small quantities of CNTs permits the improvement of their mechanical properties [7], and offers a higher operating life time [8]. The good dispersion of CNTs in the polymer matrix leads to charge transfer and good transport properties due to their high electron and hole mobilities [9]

Methods

Results

Conclusion