Polyaniline/Ag Composite Nanotubes Prepared through UV Rays Irradiation via Fiber Template Approach and their NH₃Gas Sensitivity

Abstract

Polyaniline(PANI)/Ag composite nanotubes have been successfully prepared using a suitable fiber as template in the presence of H 4 SiW 12 O 40 (SiW 12 ) and silver nitrate (AgNO 3 ) as a dopant and an oxidant, respectively. The Ag nanoparticles dispersed in the PANI nanotubes are very uniform. The structure and morphology of the product are characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum, X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. UV rays play an important role in the polymerization. A potential formation mechanism of the PANI/Ag composite nanotubes is suggested. The average inner diameter of PANI/Ag composite nanotubes is 170 nm, which is consistent with the diameter of the template. The high surface areas, small diameter, and porous nature of the PANI/Ag composite nanotubes give significantly better performance in both gas sensitivity and time response. Moreover, the introduction of metal into organic films is effective in promoting the chemiresistor sensitivity to NH 3 . The gas-response to NH 3 gas is examined at room temperature. Meanwhile, the reversible circulation response change of PANI/Ag composite nanotubes has a reasonable reproducibility and has more potential applications in the area of sensor development.