Preparation of nanoparticle-polymer composite with plasma treatment

Titanium dioxide as inorganic nanoparticles and emeraldine based (EB) polyaniline (PANI) as polymer are used in preparation of a nanoparticle-polymer composite. The polyaniline was prepared by a temperature-controlled self-stabilized dispersion polymerization method. The nanoparticles were plasma-treated in N2/SO2 at a low pressure to improve dispersion in solvent and to sulfonate them. The plasma-treated nanoparticle, PANI, and a solvent were introduced into a reaction vessel. The mixtures were changed from heavy blue to green after stirring for 3 h. The characteristic peaks of the obtained composite in the UV-visible spectrum appeared at 325-360, 400-430, and 780-826 nm, which correspond to π-π*, polaron-π*, and π-polaron transitions, respectively. The results mean that PANI in the composite is in the doped state. The plasma-treated TiO2 and the composite were preliminarily characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared, and transmission electron microscopy.