Idrees Ramsha, Shah Syed Aizaz Ali, Omer Saeed, Mehmood Zahid, Saeed Shaukat
Department of Chemistry, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad 45650, Pakistan.
Heliyon. 2024 Mar 4;10(6):e27573. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27573. eCollection 2024 Mar 30.
One-dimensional polyaniline (PANI) nanostructures were synthesized in the presence of two-dimensional (2D) Montmorillonite (MMT) clay nanosheets. Strong interactions between the polymer and MMT platelets in the nanocomposites were confirmed through spectroscopic studies. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopic studies revealed the clay's profound effect on the polymer's crystallinity and morphology. The clay nanosheets induced higher crystallinity and well-defined nanorod morphology in the polymer structure. Consequently, the nanocomposite showed an electrical conductivity of 8.72 S/cm, closer to that of the pristine polymer (8.97 S/cm), despite the presence of highly insulting clay material. Surprisingly, a notable decrease in the optical bandgap of the polymer from 3.73 to 2.88 eV of the nanocomposite was also observed. This novel integration of a narrow band gap and high conductivity in PANI/MMT nanocomposites can expand their utility for visible light interactions in areas encompassing photocatalysis, photovoltaics, electro/photochromism, and related technologies.
在二维蒙脱土(MMT)粘土纳米片存在的情况下合成了一维聚苯胺(PANI)纳米结构。通过光谱研究证实了纳米复合材料中聚合物与MMT片层之间的强相互作用。X射线衍射和扫描电子显微镜研究揭示了粘土对聚合物结晶度和形态的深远影响。粘土纳米片在聚合物结构中诱导出更高的结晶度和明确的纳米棒形态。因此,尽管存在高度绝缘的粘土材料,该纳米复合材料的电导率仍为8.72 S/cm,接近原始聚合物的电导率(8.97 S/cm)。令人惊讶的是,还观察到聚合物的光学带隙从纳米复合材料的3.73 eV显著降低至2.88 eV。聚苯胺/蒙脱土纳米复合材料中这种窄带隙和高导电性的新型整合可以扩展其在光催化、光伏、电致/光致变色及相关技术等领域用于可见光相互作用的用途。