Composites of polyindole nanowires within silicates and aluminosilicates hosts with distinct conductive properties

Abstract

Nanostructured silicate SBA-15 and aluminosilicate AlSBA-15 were synthesized in order to prepare polyindole composites. The Silica mesoporous materials were prepared by sol–gel method and the alumination by post-synthesis technique, and analyzed by different methods (XRD, BET, TEM, and FTIR). Polyindole/host composites were prepared by an oxidative in situ polymerization of pre-adsorbed indole, em ploying Cl3Fe as oxidant. TG, FTIR, BET, XRD, SEM and TEM were used to characterize the resulting composites. These studies show that after polymerization, the porous structures of the materials are preserved and the Polyindole is found within the porous channels. The composites have an electrical conductivity range between higher than the pure Polyindole chemically synthesized, close to the electrical conductivity of pure polymer electrochemically synthesized, and lower than the pure polymer chemically synthesized, in order of 10-8 S/cm.