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 H4SiW12O40 (SiW12) and silver nitrate (AgNO3) 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 NH3. The gas-response to NH3 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.