Fabrication of Electrospun Nanofibers of Titanium Dioxide Intercalated Polyaniline Nanocomposites for CO2 Gas Sensor

In this paper we report the synthesis and characterization of nanofibers of titanium-dioxide (TiO2) intercalated polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites at room temperature in air at relative humidity of 60% by electrospinning technique. The as-prepared nanofibers were characterized using UV-VIS, FTIR, SEM and XRD. Optical absorbance revealed the shifting of the characteristic peaks for PANI, which may be due to presence of titanium dioxide in PANI matrix. FTIR spectra show the presence of Ti-O-Ti vibrational peak and characteristic vibrational peaks of PANI indicating the interaction of TiO2 particles with PANI. SEM micrographs revealed the formation of fibers with the diameter less than 200 nm. XRD patterns showed the characteristic peaks not only for PANI but also for rutile phase of TiO2 particles proving the existence of TiO2 particles within the composites. The as-prepared nanofibers of TiO2 intercalated PANI nanocomposites when exposed to CO2 gas (1000 ppm) at room temperature; it was found that the resistance of the nanocomposites was increased from their respective unexposed values. The nanofibers of TiO2 intercalated PANI nanocomposites were found to be good materials for CO2 gas sensor even at room temperature as compared to that of pure TiO2.