The interfacial structure of PPV/TiO2 nanocomposite

The aim of this work is to investigate the interfacial structure of poly(phenylenevinylene)(PPV)/TiO 2 nanocomposite by analyzing X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Ti K edge. The pre-edge regions of X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectra displayed distortions of octahedral geometry (TiO 6 ) in the surface of TiO 2 nanoparticles, while the post-edge regions of XANES showed PPV could modify the surface of nano-TiO 2 . From analyzing extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectra of the nanoparticles and comparing them with bulk TiO 2 , it was found that bond length (Ti-O) and coordination number decrease in nano-TiO 2 , which is attributed to coordinatively unsaturated TiO x surface species (x < 6). In PPV/TiO 2 nanocomposite, PPV molecule can bond to the surface of TiO 2 nanoparticles, leading the interfacial structure reconstructed.