Polyaniline Composites Obtained from Pickering Emulsion Stabilized by Silica Modified Nanoparticles

Introduction:

One of the most versatile semiconducting polymers, owing to its unique advantages such as good environmental stability, ease of preparation, and reversible acid/base doping/dedoping chemistry, is Polyaniline (PANI). However, conductive PANi is insoluble and has poor processability; therefore, much effort has been made to overcome these major drawbacks. In this work, we employ the Pickering Emulsion Polymerization Technology (PEmPTech) as a facile method for improving the processability of semiconducting polyaniline by obtaining microparticles.

Methods:

The prepared composites and nanoparticles were characterized using various methods, including FT-IR spectroscopy, Zeta Potential, and conductivity measurements. Morphological studies were conducted using scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy.

Results:

We have emulsified aniline in the presence of an initiator and various types of silica-modified nanoparticles. We have obtained microparticles of PANi that are semiconducting and are dispersible in aqueous solvent, thus improving the polymer’s processability. The synthesis method we used is simple compared to other techniques and has great potential for various applications, including electronics devices, sensors, fuel cells, and biomedical applications.

PEmPTech successfully prepared the new polyaniline composite PEmPTech. The type of modified silica nanoparticles added to the emulsion had a distinct effect on the morphology of the composites. The method reported in this study can be used for the preparation of other composite nanostructures based on polyaniline.