Preparation of hybrid film of polyaniline and organically pillared zirconium phosphate nanosheet by electrodeposition

Langmuir. 2011 Jan 4;27(1):126-31. doi: 10.1021/la102198j. Epub 2010 Dec 6.

Abstract

α-Zirconium phosphate was chemically modified with 1,2-bis(dimethylchlorosilyl)ethane to graft organic chain, and then it was used as host material for inorganic nanosheet-polyaniline hybrid. The grafted α-zirconium phosphate was exfoliated in an acetonitrile solution with tetrabutylammonium salt and aniline. The electrodeposition in the presence of aniline was performed, and then it resulted in a formation of higher-order structure in which phosphate nanosheet was propped up by 1,2-bis(dimethylchlorosilyl)ethane with intrusion of polyaniline into the nanospace. The gravimetric capacitance of the α-zirconium phosphate without grafts and polyaniline hybrid film was around 194 F/g with the base on the amount of polyaniline mass. On the other hand, the α-zirconium phosphate nanosheet with grafts and polyaniline hybrid film provided larger capacitance of around 350 F/g in maximum. The nanospace formed by grafted phosphate nanosheet with 1,2-bis(dimethylchlorosilyl)ethane molecules gives increased amounts of polyaniline included and diffusion paths for ions.