Synthesis of a new electrically conducting nanosized Ag-polyaniline-silica complex using γ-radiolysis and its biosensing application

In this study, a new electrically conducting nanosized Ag-PANI-silica complex, in which nano-silver is bound to silica and polyaniline (PANI), has been synthesized by using γ-irradiation at room temperature and not by using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a colloidal stabilizer. The conductivity of nanosized Ag-PANI-silica complex was determined by using the Van der PauW method, and the complex turned out to have a high semi-conductivity (200 S/cm). The optical property and morphology were characterized by using a UV-vis spectrophotometer, field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The optical absorption bands of UV-vis analysis revealed a peak at 262, 368, and a slowly decreasing band at 600-800 nm originating from the a nanosized Ag-PANI-silica complex. FE-SEM and TEM showed that the nanosized Ag-PANI-silica complex has a particle size ranging from 10 to 30 nm and high stability. The nano-complex prepared by γ-irradiation can be applicable to be used as biosensor materials.