Controlled Synthesis of Polyaniline-Based Nanomaterials with Self-Assembly and Interface Manipulation.

Versatile nanostructures of conducting polymers are highly relevant based on unique properties, including electrical, optical, and thermal, with changes in morphology. This contribution reports a facile and reproducible synthesis approach for the design of conducting polymer nanostructures from zero- to three-dimensional composites. Two polymerization steps, namely, self-assembly-directed and interface thin layer-templated polymerizations in this synthesis, were kinetically controlled to fabricate such nanostructures directly. The uniquely designed bicontinuous nanoreactor offers an easy synthesis technique for fabricating 3D multifunctional conducting polymer composites. Self-assembly-directed polymerization could be controlled to form nanorods and further directed to form nanobowl/hollow spherical structures. The interface thin layer template process was tuned to produce hollow spherical and 2D film nanostructures. Kinetic control of polymerization was able to provide access to unprecedented nanostructures of the conducting polymers ranging from DNA origami to gecko-inspired nanostructures, with potential applications in drug delivery, energy storage, and adhesive materials. For example, this is the first conducting polymer material that can demonstrate similar adhesiveness (around 8 N/cm2) to gecko finger hairs.

Plasmonic effect of metal nanoparticles on the photocatalytic properties of TiO2/rGO composite.

A comparative study of the plasmon effect of Ag and Au nanoparticles on TiO2/rGO nanocomposite was carried out. The synthesis of Au and Ag nanoparticles was carried out by laser ablation. The morphology and structure of the nanocomposites were studied by EDA, HRTEM, XRD and Raman spectroscopy. It was shown that the absorption capacity of the nanocomposite material was increased in the visible range of the spectrum when Ag and Au nanoparticles were added to TiO2/rGO. This leads to an increase in their photocatalytic activity. The photocurrent generated by NC/Au 10-11films is in 3.8 times and NC/Ag 10-12is in 2 times higher compared to pure TiO2/rGO film. Similar results were obtained from experimental data on the dyes photodegradation. In the presence of plasmon nanoparticles a significant enhancement in the electrical properties of the TiO2/rGO nanocomposite was recorded. The charge carrier transfer resistance in nanocomposites was decreased by almost ∼7 times for NC/Au,10-11and ∼4 times for NC/Ag,10-12films compared to pure TiO2/rGO. In addition, for nanocomposites with Ag or Au nanoparticles, a decrease in the effective electron lifetime was observed. The data obtained allow us to conclude that plasmonic NPs have a synergistic effect in TiO2/rGO nanocomposites, which consists in modifying both their light-harvesting properties and charge-transport characteristics. The results obtained can be used for the design of materials with improved photocatalytic and optoelectronic characteristics.