Synthesis of PPy–silver nanocomposites via in situ oxidative polymerization
J Nanostruct Chem
Synthesis of PPy-silver nanocomposites via in situ oxidative polymerization
Morteza Farkhondekalam Ghadim 0
Amin Imani 0
Gholamali Farzi 0
0 M. F. Ghadim A. Imani G. Farzi (&) Department of Materials and Polymer, Faculty of Engineering, Hakim Sabzevari University , P.O. Box 937, Sabzevar , Iran
Silver nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical reduction method. The surface of silver nanoparticles (SNPs) was modified using polyvinylpyrrolidone to make them more compatible with pyrrole. Surface-modified SNPs were dispersed in pyrrole and polymerized via in situ oxidative polymerization technique. The molar ratio of monomer unit to initiator and dopant was 1:1:1 and the weight percent of SNPs in polymer matrix was varied from 1 to 10. The properties of polypyrrole-silver nanocomposites have been characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, thermo-gravimetric analysis and four-probe resistivity meter. All these characterizations indicate that the polypyrrole-silver nanocomposite is successfully synthesized via in situ oxidative polymerization and electrical extent shows suitable conductivity.
Silver nanoparticles; Polypyrrole; Nanocomposites; Oxidative polymerization
Introduction
In recent years, the attention in the improvement of
inorganic/organic nanocomposites has increased significantly
because of a wide range of potential application of these
materials [
1, 2
]. Among various types of organic
compounds, conducting polymers found different applications
due to their unique properties. Polypyrrole (PPy) is one of
the most promising conducting polymers and received full
interests due to its special properties such as high
conductivity, simple methods of preparation, stability and
good mechanical properties [
3, 4
]. The mentioned
advantages of PPy lead to wide potential applications in various
fields, such as rechargeable and lightweight batteries, drug
delivery, membrane separation, supercapacitors, sensors,
corrosion protection and electronic and electrochromic
devices. The unique properties of metal nanoparticles and
conducting polymers result in an increasing motivation in
the synthesis of nanocomposite materials containing from
finely and homogenously dispersed nanoparticles in
conducting polymer matrices [
5–7
]. On the other hand, the
metal nanoparticles, such as silver and gold, have attracted
much attention currently due to their high conductivity,
therefore potential applications in technological fields.
Particularly, SNPs have applications in catalysis,
conductive inks, thick film pastes and adhesives for various
electronic components, in photonics and in photography.
Therefore, the preparation of composite of PPy and silver
can be a fresh contest for investigators. However, one
major problem in the synthesis of nanocomposite materials
derived from the dispersion of nanoparticles in polymer
matrices is the aggregation of nanoparticles. Oxidative
polymerization exemplifies a new route to access
conducting polymers and nanocomposites with conducting
polymers matrices [
1, 5, 8
]. It is one of the important green
chemistry processes to prepare multifunctional polymers.
This method has been widely used to prepare different
types of conducting polymers and their different
derivatives [
1, 5, 9–17
]. The preparation of nanocomposite of
PPy and organic nanoparticles becomes a novel challenge
for investigators. For examples, Jing et al. [
1
] reported
effects of hydrogen and electrostatic interaction between
SNPs and PPy. Moreover, Lu et al. [
18
] informed the
synthesis of nanocomposites of inorganic particles and
polymer via introducing hydrogen and electrostatic
interaction by an in situ polymerization method.
In this work, we look forward to synthesizing SNPs via
reduction of AgNO3 and PPy–silver nanocomposites were
prepared by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization.
Considering excellent electrical properties of PPy and silver
it is expected to obtain excellent final electrical properties for
their nanocomposites. The impact of different content of
SNPs on the structures and properties of the PPy–silver
nanocomposites were deeply discussed by means of their
characterization with Fourier transform infrared
spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermo-gravimetric
analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and
transmission electron microscope (TEM).
Experimental
Materials
Pyrrole monomer obtained from Merck and was purified in
low pressure before using. Ammonium peroxydisulfate
(APS), p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TSA), silver nitrate
(AgNO3), tributyl phosphate (TBP) and
polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were purchased from Merck and were used as
received. All other chemicals and solvents were from
analytical grade and were used without any further purification.
Synthesis of hydrophobic silver nanoparticles
SNPs were synthesised according to the followin (...truncated)