TGA investigation and morphological properties study of nanocrystalline cellulose/ag‐nanoparticles nanocomposites for catalytic control of oxidative polymerization of aniline

Polyaniline (PANI) and PANI/nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC)/silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) nanocomposites have been prepared via in situ oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of NCC and AgNPs in green mediate using sugar beet leaf extracts. A series of nanocomposites has been synthesized by varying the concentrations of AgNPs (0, 1, 4, and 8%) along with 2 wt% of NCC. The control on oxidative polymerization for aniline has been studied using fabricated nanocomposites as catalysts. Various analysis techniques, including UV‐visible spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy, were adopted to confirm the Nano‐sized AgNPs. The characteristic peaks of PANI and its nanocomposites were observed in the Fourier transfer infrared spectra of the nanocomposites, indicating the incorporation of NCC and AgNPs in the nanocomposite structure. Using three mathematical models, namely, Horowitz–Metzger, Coats–Redfern, and Broido methods, thermal degradation and kinetic parameters of the composites have been calculated for each step of thermal degradation. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:E753–E764, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers