New poly(o-phenylenediamine)/modified-clay nanocomposites: A study on spectral, thermal, morphological and electrochemical characteristics

Abstract

This work describes the synthesis and characterization of new poly(o-phenylenediamine (PoPD)/modified-clay nanocomposite materials. For the synthesis, the raw clay (named as Mag) used in this study was from Maghnia (west Algeria), (Mag) clay was ion-exchanged with cobalt(II) sulfate hydrate and copper sulfate. The modified-clays were then dispersed in a oPD monomer-containing acidic solution to carry out in-situ intercalative oxidative polymerization by ammonium persulfate. XRF and XRD characterization reveal the success of ion-exchange to form highly intercalated Mag-Co and Mag-Cu clays. After polymerization, the disappearance of the interlayer-spacing diffraction peak for the PoPD-Mag-Cu and PoPD-Mag-Co nanocomposites points out fully exfoliation of the clay structure. The formation of intercalated PoPD into modified-clay nanocomposites was confirmed by XRD, TEM, TG analysis, FTIR spectroscopy and UV–vis studies. The nanocomposites show optical properties and the redox processes observed by cyclic voltammetry indicate that the reported polymerization into modified-clays leads to electroactive hybrid materials. All these properties make these polymer/clay nanocomposites attractive materials for multiple applications.