Nanoscale measurements of conducting domains and current-voltage characteristics of chemically deposited polyaniline films

Spatial variations in electric conductivity and evolutions of band structures of polyaniline (PANI) films have been studied by use of a so-called current-sensing atomic force microscope (CS-AFM) or atomic force microscope current image tunneling spectroscopy (AFM-CITS). PANI films were deposited chemically onto indium-tin oxide- (ITO-) glass substrates, and their thickness and doping levels were controlled by polymerization and acid-doping conditions. The conducting uniformity of the PANI films depends on their doping level and thickness. Conducting domains were observed in fully doped PANI film, even when the bias voltage was reduced to as small as 30 mV. High current flowing regions gradually disappeared when conducting PANI films were partially dedoped. The point-contact current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of conducting tip-polymer/ITO systems were investigated on PANI films with different thickness and degree of doping. Various types of I-V curves representing metallic, semiconducting, and insulating states were obtained depending on the aggregation of polymer chains and doping level of the polymer film. The band gap energies (estimated from the I-V or dI/dV-V curves) of emeraldine base (EB) (undoped polyaniline) films are all higher than 3.8 eV, and a wide distribution of the band gap energies (0-1.1 eV and 0.75-1.8 eV for fully and partially doped PANI thin films, respectively) was found in a single polymer film.     

Phenol assisted deaggregation of polyaniline chains: simple route to high quality polyaniline film

High conducting polyaniline films were readily prepared by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization/deposition of aniline in the presence of a very small amount of organic additive such as phenol. The conductivity of a thin ( approximately 150 nm) polyaniline film synthesized in the presence of 0.01 wt % of phenol ( r-PANI) is an order of magnitude higher (as well as better conducting homogeneity) than that of a film (PANI) obtained from the conventional method without an additive. r-PANI also has better adhesion and electrochemical stability/reversibility, more transparency in the visible-light region, and faster/easier doping/dedoping response compared to PANI. The function of phenol molecule is to avoid the formation of the inter- and/or intrachain hydrogen bonding during the growth of the polyaniline chains. The deaggregation/reducing intrachain hydrogen bonding of polyaniline chains by phenol molecules was revealed with IR, SAXS, and SEM data. All these data supported that phenol does assist the deaggregation of polyaniline chains during the growth of polymer chains or nanorods.     

The effect of HCl on the polymerization of aniline with ferric chloride

The chemical oxidation of aniline with ferric chloride, FeCl₃ · 6H₂O in the HCl aqueous solutions to form polyaniline (PANI) powder and films has been investigated. The effect of acid concentration on the deposition of PANI film in situ was studied. The presence of an acid affects both the yield of the polymer and the growth rate of the film. This effect was corroborated by the UV-visible absorption studies of the films deposited on glass supports during the polymerization. The influence of the acid on the yield of the PANI powder formed in the bulk solution was also examined. We have found that the yield of the polymer formed either on the surface or in the bulk solution decreased with the increasing concentration of HCl. The effect of HCl concentration on the in situ UV-visible absorption at the early stages of aniline polymerization is also discussed. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

A comparative study on the viscoelasticity and morphology of polyaniline films galvanostatically grown on bare and 4-aminothiophenol-modified gold electrodes using an electrochemical quartz crystal impedance system and SEM.

The equivalent-circuit parameters of the 9-MHz piezoelectric quartz crystal (PQC) resonance were measured in situ during the galvanostatic polymerization of aniline on 4-aminothiophenol(4-ATP)-modified and bare Au electrodes for ca. 2000 s, respectively. Two polymerization media, 0.100 mol L-1 aniline in 1.0 mol L-1 H2SO4 and in 2.0 mol L-1 HClO4 aqueous solutions, and two values of the current density, 12 and 36 microA cm-2, were used. At identical levels of the resonant frequency shifts in the solutions, obviously greater increases in the motional resistance (R1) were found after aniline polymerization on bare Au electrodes, though the absolute values of delta f0/delta R1 were all large; also, the resonant frequency shifts in air (delta f0g) were considerably smaller for PANI films grown on bare Au electrodes. It is thus concluded that, under identical polymerization conditions, (1) the PANI film grown on a bare gold electrode is rougher, less compact, and can entrap solution more notably; (2) the deposition efficiency of PANI is higher on a 4-ATP-modified Au electrode, owing to a significantly greater observed "dry" frequency shift, and thus a greater "net" mass value of the polyaniline backbone. SEM observations have confirmed that PANI films on 4-ATP-modified Au electrodes were smoother and more compact than those grown on bare Au ones under identical polymerization conditions. In addition, a technique of simultaneous measurements of the electroacoustic admittance of the PQC resonance and the electrochemical impedance was used to monitor the adsorption of 4-ATP onto a PQC gold electrode.     

Narrow pore-diameter polypyrrole nanotubes

Bulk quantities of electrically conducting nanotubes of polypyrrole having narrow pore diameter (6 nm) can be synthesized rapidly by chemical oxidative polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of stoichiometric amounts of V2O5 nanofibers. The V2O5 nanofibers act as templates for polymerization and yield, as the initial product, polypyrrole nanotubes with pores filled with V2O5. The V2O5 dissolves readily in aq. 1.0 M HCl, yielding hollow polypyrrole nanotubes having conductivity of approximately 2 S/cm. As-synthesized polypyrrole nanotubes spontaneously reduce noble metal ions to the corresponding metal nanoparticles at room temperature without any capping or dispersing agents. For example, 3-5 nm size nanoparticles of Ag, Au, and Pd, etc., deposit readily on the surface of the tubes which then migrate spontaneously to the pore, and, in the case of Ag, coalesce in the core, yielding 4-8 nm diameter coaxial cables of Ag surrounded by a 20-30 nm thick polypyrrole fiber sheath.     

聚苯胺/离子液体/蒙脱土纳米复合材料的制备及其导电性能研究

采用1-羧甲基-3-甲基咪唑氯化盐离子液体对钠化蒙脱土进行插层改性,然后用苯胺的盐酸溶液进行二次插层,以过硫酸铵为氧化剂,盐酸溶液为掺杂剂,使进入离子液体/蒙脱土(CMMIm/MMT)层间的苯胺(An)发生氧化聚合反应,制备了一种具有良好导电性的聚苯胺/离子液体/蒙脱土复合材料(PANI/CMMIm/MMT).用红外光谱、X-射线衍射,热重分析和DSC对样品进行了表征.结果表明当离子液体/蒙脱土用量为7.5%、盐酸浓度为1mol/L、过硫酸铵与苯胺的摩尔比为1∶1、0℃下反应6h时制备的PANI/CMMIm/MMT纳米复合材料电导率最高,达到了0.3S/cm,是相同条件下聚苯胺/钠化蒙脱土纳米复合材料电导率的2.5倍,聚苯胺的7.5倍.     

聚苯胺对新型杂化透明导电薄膜制备和性能的影响

以聚苯胺和掺锑的氧化锡作为主要原料, 采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了新型有机-无机杂化透明导电薄膜. 薄膜的可见光透过率为85%以上, 电导率达到10⁰～10¹ S•cm^－1. 研究了聚苯胺含量的变化对浸涂液粘度、薄膜结构、光透过率、电导率的影响. 随着聚苯胺引入量的增加, 薄膜的电导率、可见光透过率均有所增大. 浸涂液的粘度可在长达25天的时间内保持稳定, 很适于浸涂工艺. 扫描电镜照片显示, 薄膜比较致密、均匀, 厚度为250 nm左右.     

Dielectric Relaxation Phenomena and Electric Properties of Conductive Composite Polyurethane/Polyaniline Films

Summary: Composite polyurethane/polyaniline (PU/PANI) films have been chemically prepared by oxidative in-situ polymerization of aniline inside the previously swelled PU film. Swelling kinetic studies have shown that for PU films the swelling degree of aniline is 25 wt.%. The dielectric and electrical properties of the composite films were measured using dielectric relaxation spectroscopy and four-probe method. Dielectric measurements as a function of temperature and frequency revealed the presence of a relaxation process for the composite PU/PANI-HCl film. This relaxation was explained in terms of interfacial polarization due to the double-layered structure of the composite film. The activation energy values found by dielectric and electrical measurements are close and this result confirms the conducting character of the PANI containing layer.     

Impedance change induced by varying polymerization temperature of conducting polymer thin films

In this study, we use a conducting polymer precursor to build layer-by-layer (LbL) films. Thermal conversion of the polymer precursor to conducting polymer makes the LbL films intractable, so the LbL films can be used as protective layers in salt solution. The conducting polymer LbL film shows stabilizing effect on top of another LbL thin film that contains nanoparticles. The LbL film prepared in this study shows a 35-fold increase of conductivity than the literature values obtained from non-conducting polymer films. The stabilization of the films is the result of the polymerization of the conducting polymer, so other anionic polymers or nanoparticles may be used to afford additional functionalities.     

聚合时间对染料敏化太阳能电池中聚苯胺对电极结构和性能的影响

采用恒电压方法, 以掺杂氟的SnO₂ (FTO)导电玻璃为基底, 采用不同的聚合时间制备SO₄^2?掺杂的聚苯胺对电极(PANI CEs). 利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、紫外-可见(UV-Vis)吸收光谱、循环伏安法(CV)和电化学阻抗谱(EIS)等技术详细研究了聚合时间对PANI CEs的表面形貌、结构(如掺杂度、共轭性、氧化态等)和对I^?/I^3?的催化活性的影响. SEM结果表明PANI在FTO上的生长分两个阶段. 适当增加聚合时间可以增加PANI CEs的比表面积, 为催化I^?/I^3?反应提供更多的活性位点, 同时聚苯胺链的共轭性、半氧化态聚苯胺(EB)结构的含量和对阴离子SO₄^2?的掺杂度会随着增加, 进而PANI 的导电率也逐渐增大. 然而, 聚合时间过长会引起薄膜厚度的增加和氧化结构的过多, 使PANI CEs的导电率降低, 电子在PANI 薄膜中的传输阻抗增加, 进而影响其对I^?/I^3?的催化性能. 聚合时间为300 s 时制备出的PANI 薄膜作为染料敏化太阳能电池(DSSCs)对电极和以D149 为染料时, 获得的最高电池光电转换效率为5.30%, 可达到基于Pt 对电极电池效率的88%. 因此, 通过电化学方法制备的PANI CEs有望代替贵金属Pt CEs用于DSSCs中.     

Synthesis and characterization of polyaniline/silicon dioxide composites and preparation of conductive films

The focus of this study was to synthesize the inherently conductive polymer polyaniline using an optimized process to prepare polyaniline/silicon dioxide (PANI/SiO₂) composites by in situ polymerization and ex situ solution mixing. PANI and PANI/SiO₂ composite films were prepared by drop‐by‐drop and spin coating methods. The electrical conductivities of HCl doped PANI film and PANI/SiO₂ composite films were measured according to the standard four‐point‐probe technique. The composite films exhibited an increase in electrical conductivity over neat PANI. PANI and PANI/SiO₂ composites were also investigated by spectroscopic methods including UV‐Vis, FT‐IR, and Photoluminescence. UV‐Vis and FT‐IR studies showed that SiO₂ particles affect the quinoid units along the polymer backbone and indicate strong interactions between the SiO₂ particles and the quinoidal sites of PANI (doping effect). The photoluminescence properties of PANI and PANI/SiO₂ composites were studied and the PANI/SiO₂ composites showed increased intensity as compared to neat PANI. The increase of conductivity of PANI/SiO₂ composite may be partially due to the doping or impurity effect of SiO₂ where the silicon dioxides compete with chloride ions. The morphology of particles and films were examined by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). SEM measurements indicated that the SiO₂ were well dispersed and isolated in composite films. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

纳米纤维聚苯胺在电化学电容器中的应用

采用脉冲电流方法（PGM）合成了具有纳米纤维结构的导电聚苯胺（PANI）.扫描电子显微镜对膜层观察表明, PANI膜是由直径约为100 nm的掺杂态聚苯胺纤维交织而成.以纳米纤维状聚苯胺组成电化学电容器,研究了其电化学电容性能,并与恒电流方法（GM） 制备的颗粒状PANI电容器性能进行了比较.结果表明,在相同的沉积电量下,PGM制备的纳米纤维状PANI电化学电容器比颗粒状PANI电化学电容器具有更大的电容容量,其电化学电容器的比电容可高达699 F•g－1,能量密度为54.6 Wh•kg－1.并且该电化学电容器具有良好的充放电性能和循环寿命.     

Nanocomposite and nanoporous polyaniline conducting polymers exhibit enhanced catalysis of nitrite reduction

Nanostructured polyaniline (PANI) conducting polymer films were prepared on electrochemically pretreated glassy carbon electrodes, which were previously modified with multilayers of polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles with a diameter of 100 nm. PANI was electropolymerised and grown through the interstitial spaces between the PS nanoparticles, which formed a nanocomposite film of PANI and PS nanoparticles on the electrode surface. Furthermore, a nanoporous PANI film was fabricated through the removal of the PS nanoparticles by dissolution in toluene. As a result of their nanostructure, both of the PANI films (before and after removal of the PS nanoparticles) exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic behaviour towards the reduction of nitrite relative to bulk-PANI films; however, partial collapse or shrinkage may have occurred with the removal of the nanoparticles and could have resulted in a less enhanced response. Under optimised conditions, the nanocomposite-film-modified electrode exhibited a fast response time of 5 s and a linear range from 5.0 x 10(-7) to 1.4 x 10(-3) M for the detection of nitrite; the detection limit was 2.4 x 10(-7) M at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3.     

Preparation and characterization of polyaniline films in the presence of N-phenyl-1,4-phenylenediamine

The chemical oxidation of aniline to form polyaniline (PANI) films was made in the presence of N-phenyl-1,4-phenylenediamine (PPDA) in aqueous hydrochloric acid medium. The PANI films were monitored by using the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique. The effect of PPDA and its concentration on the film formation was investigated. It was found that PPDA decreases the yield of the PANI film, the induction period and the depletion time of the polymerization. However, the growth rate of the film formation was found to increase by increasing PPDA concentration. These results were justified by measuring the UV-VIS absorption spectra for the in situ PANI films and the in situ UV-VIS absorption spectra for the polymer in the bulk during the polymerization. The conductivity for the PANI films at different concentrations of PPDA was measured. Also, the IR spectra, X-ray and the thermal gravimetric analysis for the PANI powder formed in the bulk in the presence of PPDA were measured and discussed.     

Phase‐separated,conducting composites from polyaniline and benzobisthiazole rigid‐rod polymer

As an alternative method for processing polyaniline (PANI) from its conducting (protonated) state, vacuum casting of PANI from a methanesulfonic acid (MSA) solution provided films with electrical conductivity values of about 130–150 S/cm. In addition, we similarly prepared blended films of PANI · MSA and poly(p‐phenylene benzobisthiazole) (PBZT). This process eliminated the need for a subsequent protonation step and had the additional advantage that the conjugated PBZT may provide alternative conducting pathways. Conductivity values of the composite films ranged from 100 pS/cm to 124 S/cm, and the films displayed critical concentration behavior with a PANI threshold concentration of 2.75% and a critical exponent of 4. Transmission electron micrographs displayed phase‐separated regions with PANI forming a continuous network at high concentrations. Thermogravimetric analysis results demonstrated the thermal and thermooxidative stability advantage of the blends due to the PBZT component. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 2539–2548, 2001     

Polyaniline-coated carbon particles and their electrode behavior in organic carbonate electrolyte

In an attempt to increase the interface stability of carbon used in Li-ion batteries, a thin conducting polyaniline (PANI) film was fabricated on the surface of carbon by in situ chemical polymerization. The chemical and electrochemical properties of the composite material were characterized using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. It was confirmed that the PANI film has an obvious effect on the morphology and the electrochemical performance of carbon. The results could be attributed to the electronic and electrochemical activity of the conducting PANI films.     

Influence of the magnitude and direction of electric field on the transport and growth property of deposited polyaniline films

Polyaniline (PANI) films were deposited by electrochemical polymerization of aniline monomer on a fluorine-doped glass substrate at room temperature under different electric field directions. The as-synthesized PANI films obtained at different growth cycles were characterized by AC impedance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results revealed that the film morphology, transport kinetics, and electrical properties are strongly dependent on the electric field direction and magnitude of the applied field during electropolymerization. The SEM morphology and AC impedance (modulus spectroscopy) indicate that a more homogeneous, high-porous, and conducting PANI film is induced by horizontal electric field direction (HEFD) electrodeposition, whereas the modulus spectroscopy of the PANI film deposited by vertical electric field direction (VEFD) reveals that VEFD deposition favours two-dimensional growth of PANI. The obtained polymer is more of dielectric in nature due to preferable dendritic growth which is supported by SEM analysis.     

聚苯胺的化学合成及其电化学表征

本文用化学聚合法合成了在Ｎ－甲基吡咯烷酮（ＮＭＰ）中可溶的聚苯胺（ＰＡＮＩ）。通过溶液法定量（浓度与体积）制膜，对ＰＡＮＩ膜修饰电极的循环伏安（ＣＶ）性质进行了研究，证实了ＰＡＮＩ膜在１０．０ｍｏｌ／Ｌ ＨＣｌ的介质中，－０．１５￣０．６５Ｖ（ｖｓ．ＳＣＥ）的电位范围内氧化还原单元为八隅体单元。比较了恒电流聚合与化学聚合所得的聚苯胺的ＣＶ性质，发现两者有很好的一致性。     

Dispersed platinum and tin polyaniline film electrodes for the anodes of the direct methanol fuel cell

To develop better and cheaper electrocatalysts for the oxidation of methanol in direct methanol fuel cells, several combinations of a conductive polymer polyaniline (PANI) and dispersed metal particles such as Pt and Sn were examined. The anodic current for the methanol oxidation (i _MeOH) showing the electrocatalytic activity of Pt particles was remarkably enhanced when the particles were dispersed on PANI films that should provide higher surface areas for the dispersed particles. The activity strongly depended on the morphology and the electric conductivity of the PANI films electropolymerized in five different acid solutions: H₂SO₄, HNO₃, HClO₄, HBF₄, and HCl. The highest activity was achieved using the dispersed Pt particle on PANI film electropolymerized from H₂SO₄ polymerizing solution. In order to reduce the dispersed amount of the expensive Pt particles, other metal particles were pre-dispersed on the PANI film prepared from the H₂SO₄ polymerizing solution, and then Pt particles were dispersed on the film. Among the pre-dispersed metal particles attempted here (Sn, Cu, Cr, Ni, In, Co, Sb, Bi, Pb, and Mn), the highest activity was obtained with Sn particles. When the ratio of dispersed Pt to Sn particles ranges from 32:68 to 100:0, i _MeOH is higher than that measured with the dispersed Pt particle on PANI films without the Sn particles. This means that the dispersed amount of the Pt particles could be reduced by utilizing dispersed Sn particles.     

Polyaniline film deposition from the oxidative polymerization of aniline using K2Cr2O7

The deposition of the polyaniline (PANI) films was monitored using the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique. The films were grown from an aqueous dilute hydrochloric acid solution by the chemical oxidation of aniline using potassium dichromate (KDC). The effect of the initial molar ratio of the KDC/aniline on the yield and the growth rate of the PANI films were studied. There is no optimum initial molar ratio of KDC/aniline of PANI film deposition. Also there was a small depletion period and no degradation to the deposited PANI films. The order of the polymerization kinetics was studied with respect to KDC. The UV-visible spectra of the PANI films grown onto a glass support immersed into the bulk solution were measured. The absorption of the PANI film with the time of polymerization was compared to the growth of the PANI film thickness with time determined from the QCM technique. The characteristics of the PANI film deposition were compared to the corresponding ones that were observed during the oxidative polymerization of aniline with ammonium persulphate (APS).