Electrochemical Synthesis of Polyaniline/Montmorillonite Nanocomposites and Their Characterization

A novel approach to the synthesis of polyaniline−montmorillonite (PANI−MMT) nanocomposites by in situ electropolymerization of anilinium−montmorillonite in 0.3 M sulfuric acid on a gold substrate is reported. The nanocomposites were characterized by elemental analysis, cyclic voltammetry, X-ray diffraction, in situ UV−vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and in situ conductivity measurements. Cyclic voltammograms of PANI−MMT are similar to those of PANI synthesized electrochemically under similar conditions. Formation of PANI inside the MMT was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis where the d spacing is increased from 10.09 Å (Na + −montmorillonite) to 12.62 Å (PANI−MMT). The C N stretching vibration (ν C - N ) which appears with PANI at 1296 cm - 1 has been shifted to 1311 cm - 1 for PANI−MMT, indicating the existence of interactions between intercalated PANI and MMT layers. Conductivities of the nanocomposites are almost an order of magnitude lower than those of PANI.