Synthesis and Characterization of Nanostructured Conducting Polymers and Their Composites with Noble Metal Nanoparticles

Abstract

Conducting polymers and noble metals were combined in one nanostructure to produce materials with academic and industrial interest gathering properties. Novel, facile, one-step and seeding-template-assisted oxidative polymerization reactions of pyrrole were conducted to synthesize such nanocomposites made up of Polypyrrole (PPy) nanofibers decorated by the noble metal (Au, Pt) nanoparticles. Enhanced sensing properties and catalytic capability were meant to be provided in a 2-D nanocomposite matrix. As the reaction media, four different noble metal salts’ aqueous electrolyte solutions were used. AuCl, PtCl2, PtCl4 and HAuCl4 salts were, individually, dissolved in water to prepare these solutions. They eliminated the use of oxidative agents like ammonium peroxydisulfate and also large amounts of in/soluble templates like zeolites, opals and surfactants by both acting as the dopant and the oxidant for pyrrole. Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) sol-gel nanofibers were assisting, as the seeding-template, to ensure fibrillar morphology during the reactions. The goal of this study was to build a substantial background for the futuristic industrial applications, i.e., fuel-cell membranes of such nanocomposites by utilizing the knowledge obtained from the chemical analysis and the instrumental characterizations. To control, investigate, improve and characterize several properties of conducting polymer based nanocomposites and to determine the effects of the electrolyte concentration besides the other reaction parameters on the final product morphology and properties, the above mentioned project was undertaken in details throughout the Master’s degree.