Adsorption of Hg(II) in aqueous solutions using mercapto‐functionalized alkali lignin

A novel adsorbent for Hg(II), mercapto‐functionalized alkali lignin (AL‐SH) was synthesized by Friedel–Crafts alkylation reaction and nucleophilic substitution reactions. The adsorbent was characterized by the techniques of Fourier transform‐infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), elementary analysis and thermogravimetric analysis, and N₂ adsorption techniques. The effect of various parameters on Hg(II) adsorption process such as initial pH, contact time, ionic strength, initial Hg(II) concentration, temperature, and adsorbent dosage were investigated in detail through batch static experiments. The results indicated that the adsorption process of Hg(II) on AL‐SH was mainly dependent on the pH and the optimal pH value was at pH ranging from 4.0 to 6.0. The adsorption process was found to follow pseudosecond‐order kinetics and the main process was chemical adsorption, which equilibrated at 8 h. The adsorption isotherm was better described by Langmuir and Temkin isotherm equations compared to Freundlich isotherm equation and the maximum adsorption capacity obtained was 101.2 mg g^?1 (pH = 4.0, 20°C, initial Hg(II) concentration was 200 mg L^?1). The thermodynamic parameters of and were positive while was negative, revealed that the adsorption of Hg(II) onto AL‐SH was a spontaneous and endothermic process with increased entropy. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40749.     

Metal complexation studies of amylopectin‐graft‐poly[(N,N‐dimethylacrylamide)‐co‐(acrylic acid)]: a biodegradable synthetic graft copolymer

Synthesis of amylopectin‐graft‐poly[(N,N‐dimethylacrylamide)‐co‐(acrylic acid)] was carried out using solution polymerization technique with potassium persulfate as the initiator. The graft copolymer was characterized by measuring molecular weight using size exclusion chromatography, thermal analysis and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The synthetic graft copolymer was used for the removal of some potentially toxic metal ions, Cu(II), Zn(II) and Ni(II), from their aqueous solutions. Various operating parameters like the amount of adsorbent, solution pH, contact time and temperature were studied. The adsorption data were well described by the pseudo‐second‐order and Langmuir isotherm models. Metal complexation studies were carried out experimentally using cyclic voltammetry and UV‐visible and FTIR spectroscopies. The metal complex structure was also studied theoretically using density functional theory with the Gaussian 09 program and the geometry of the complex structure was optimized. The metal complexation ability of the graft polymer was in the order Cu(II) > Ni(II) > Zn(II). Calculation of the various thermodynamic parameters was also done. The negative value of free energy change indicates the spontaneous nature of the adsorption. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis,characterization, and properties of new 3‐hexyl‐2,5‐diphenylthiophene: Phenylene vinylenes copolymers as colorimetric sensor for iodide anion

Four new conjugated copolymers P1 ‐ P4 have been prepared by the Horner‐Emmons and Knoevenagel polymerization reactions. P1 ‐ P4 were characterized by NMR, FTIR, cyclic voltammetry (CV), diffuse reflectance UV–vis spectroscopy (DR UV–vis), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The optical band gaps of these polymers, calculated from the onset absorption edge, were found between 2.15 and 2.34 eV. The band gaps calculated by CV were ranged between 1.94 and 2.57 eV. The presence of nitrile moiety on the phenylene vinylene unit is believed to influence the optical properties of these polymers, i.e., P3 and P4 have shown lower band gaps than P1 and P2 . All polymers possess good iodide anion sensing property over a wide range of other anions (F^?, Cl^?, Br^?, , CN^?), indicating their promise in fabricating selective iodide sensors. The initial colorless solution of polymers in THF changed to deep yellow upon the addition of aqueous solution of iodide salts along with significant changes in the UV–vis spectra of the polymers. The limit of detection (LOD) for P1‐P4 were found between 0.43 and 2.54 mM . These polymers constitute long alkoxy and alkyl side chains, bearing excellent solubility in most common organic solvents which warrants their suitability for photovoltaic devices application. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 44948.     

Molybdate‐doped copolymer coatings for corrosion prevention of stainless steel

The polypyrrole and polyaniline copolymer coating (PPy‐PAni) and PPy‐PAni doped with sodium molybdate copolymer coating ( ) were synthesized on stainless steel by cyclic voltammetry. The effect of molybdate on the passivation of stainless steel was investigated by linear sweep voltammetry in 0.2 mol L^?1 of oxalic acid. The corrosion prevention performances of these copolymer coatings for stainless steel were investigated by linear sweep voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 1 mol L^?1 of sulfuric acid, and potentiodynamic polarization in 0.1 mol L^?1 of hydrochloric acid. Copolymer coating doped with molybdate could accelerate the formation of the passive oxide film and have better corrosion prevention efficiencies than PPy‐PAni coating on stainless steel. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40602.     

Viscoelastic properties of borax loaded CMC‐g‐cl‐poly(AAm) hydrogel composites and their boron nutrient release behavior

Borax (Na₂B₄O₇, 10.5% Boron) loaded CMC‐g‐cl‐poly(AAm) hydrogel composites were prepared by in situ grafting of acrylamide on to sodium carboxymethyl cellulose in the presence of borax by free radical polymerization technique to develop slow boron (B) delivery device. The composition, morphology, and mechanical properties of synthesized composites were studied by X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, texture analyser, and dynamic shear rheometer. Characterization revealed formation of borate ion ( ) from borax during polymerization reaction leading to extensive crosslinking of cellulosic chains and generation of mechanically strong composite hydrogels. Dynamic release of from the synthesized composites hydrogels followed Fickian diffusion mechanism and composites with high mechanical strength resulted in slow release of B. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43969.     

Capacitance properties of unipolar pulsed electro‐polymerized PEDOT films

Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) film has been prepared on conductive carbon paper (CP) substrates by unipolar pulse electrochemical deposition. The effects of different polymerization parameters, including pulse potential and width, deposition frequency, and duty cycle on the capacitance of PEDOT films, were studied by cyclic voltammetry in 0.5 M sulfuric acid solution. The PEDOT‐coated CP electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to confirm the three‐dimensional porous structure and the presence of dopant ion conjugation during the electro‐polymerization. The results of cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge‐discharge show that the PEDOT electrodes exhibit good specific capacitance of 151.31 F/g, rate performance and stability with a retention rate of 80.25% after 5000 cycles. The thin, lightweight electrode materials show considerable potential for low‐cost, high‐performance energy storage applications. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46729.     

A novel porous nanocomposite of aminated silica MCM‐41 and nylon‐6: Isotherm,kinetic, and thermodynamic studies on adsorption of Cu(II) and Cd(II)

Porous amine‐modified MCM‐41/Nylon‐6 nanocomposite (NH₂‐MCM‐41/NY6 NC) was synthesized by a facile solution casting protocol, which was used as an effective adsorbent for the removal of Cu(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous media. The physicochemical properties of NH₂‐MCM‐41/NY6 NC were studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopies, thermogravimetric analysis, etc. The influence of pH, adsorbent dose, contact time and initial concentration on adsorption performance were investigated in detail. Kinetic and isotherm parameters were evaluated and the data fitted well to the pseudo‐second order and Freundlich isotherm model, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacities of Cu(II) and Cd(II) were about 35.84 and 27.5 mg·g^?1, respectively. The K_d of NH₂‐MCM‐41/NY6 NC for Cu(II) (> ) and Cd(II) (> ) ions uptake in aqueous solution, showed very good values. Thermodynamic parameters suggest that the adsorption is a spontaneous process with an endothermic nature. According to the results obtained, we conclude that this novel porous NH₂‐MCM‐41/NY6 NC could be used for the removal of heavy metal ions from an aqueous solution. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 45383.     

Synthesis of aminated glycidyl methacrylate grafted rice husk and investigation of its anion‐adsorption properties

In this study, we focused on the synthesis, characterization, and adsorption capacity testing of aminated glycidyl methacrylate grafted rice husk (RH‐g‐GMA–Am). Our goal was to obtain a high‐performance surface for the adsorption of various anions. Glycidyl methacrylate grafted rice husk (RH‐g‐GMA) was prepared by the graft copolymerization of glycidyl methacrylate with rice husk; the product was further subjected to an amination reaction. The surface properties, sorption characteristic functional groups, isotherm and kinetic studies, pore diffusion models, and effects of the temperature and pH on the material properties were studied under batch conditions. The IR spectroscopy results show additional surface functional groups for RH‐g‐GMA–Am. The adsorptions of and on RH‐g‐GMA–Am were found to follow pseudo‐second‐order kinetics; this indicated a possible dominant role played by chemisorption. The rate‐limiting step for mass transfer was found to be boundary layer diffusion. Furthermore, the sorption isotherms for and fit the Langmuir model. The amination of RH‐g‐GMA drastically increased the removal efficiency from 3 to 82% and from 6 to 93% for and , respectively. Moreover, RH‐g‐GMA–Am exhibited a better removal efficiency in the pH range of 4–6.5. Regeneration studies revealed that the surface of RH‐g‐GMA–Am could be regenerated repetitively by simple acid washing with an insignificant decrease in the active surface for consecutive adsorptions. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43002.     

Electrochemical preparation of poly(2‐bromoaniline) and poly(aniline‐co‐2‐bromoaniline) in acetonitrile

Electrochemical preparation of poly(2‐bromoaniline) (PBrANI) and poly(aniline‐co‐2‐bromoaniline) [P(An‐co‐2‐BrAn)] was carried out in an acetonitrile solution containing tetrabutylammonium perchlorate (TBAP) and perchloric acid (HClO₄). The cyclic voltammograms during the copolymerization had many features similar to those for the usual polymerization of aniline. The copolymer exhibits a higher dry electrical conductivity value than that of PBrANI and a lower one than that of PANI. The observed decrease in the conductivity of the copolymer relative to PANI is attributed to the incorporation of bromine moieties into the polyaniline chain. The structure and properties of the polymer and copolymer were elucidated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), FTIR, and UV‐vis spectroscopy. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 2460–2468, 2003     

Photo‐induced graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile onto sodium salt of partially carboxymethylated guar gum

Photo‐induced graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) onto sodium salt of partially carboxymethylated guar gum (Na‐PCMGG, = 0.291) was carried out in an aqueous medium using ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) as photo‐initiator to synthesize a novel graft copolymer, Na‐PCMGG‐g‐PAN, which may find potential application as a superabsorbent hydrogel. Studying the influence of concentrations of photo‐initiator (CAN), nitric acid, monomer (AN) as well as reaction time, temperature, and amount of substrate on the grafting yields, the reaction conditions for optimum grafting were evaluated. Maximum values of the grafting yields achieved were %G = 285.77 and %GE = 70.76 at optimized conditions. The proposed kinetic scheme could explain very well the experimental results. The influence of different kind of acids on the grafting yields was also studied. Grafting process was confirmed with the help of FTIR, thermal (TGA/DSC), and SEM techniques. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41371.     

Use of polyethylene films photografted with 2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate as a potential adsorbent for removal of chromium (VI) from aqueous medium

A new polymeric adsorbent material based on polyethylene (PE) was prepared by photografting of 2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) as a positively chargeable monomer to a PE film. The effects of the experimental parameters, such as the pH value, temperature, and grafted amount on adsorption of chromium(VI) (Cr(VI)) ions were investigated for the DMAEMA‐grafted PE (PE‐g‐PDAMEMA) films. The maximum adsorption capacity was obtained at the initial pH value of 3.0 for a PE‐g‐PDMAEMA film with 1.8 mmol/g and the maximum adsorption capacity obtained was higher than or compatible to those of many of the other polymeric adsorbents prepared for Cr(VI) ions. The adsorption kinetics obeyed the mechanism of the pseudo‐second order kinetic model and adsorption of Cr(VI) ions on PE‐g‐PDMAEMA films was well expressed by the Langmuir isotherm model. A high Langmuir adsorption constant suggests that the adsorption of Cr(VI) ions occurs between protonated dimethylamino groups and ions mainly through the electrostatic interaction. Cr(VI) ions adsorbed were successfully desorbed from a PE‐g‐PDMAEMA film in solutions of NaCl, NH₄Cl, NH₄Cl containing NaOH, and NaOH and a PE‐g‐PDMAEMA film was regenerated and repeatedly used for adsorption of Cr(VI) ions without appreciable loss in the adsorption capacity. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43360.     

Reactive compatibilization of poly(methyl acrylate‐ran‐acrylonitrile)/poly(ethylene) blends through amine–anhydride coupling

Methyl acrylate/acrylonitrile copolymers (MA/AN) were reactively compatibilized as the dispersed phase into poly(ethylene) (PE) for potential hydrocarbon barrier materials. The MA/AN was made reactive by including p‐aminostyrene (PAS), yielding terpolymers (MA/AN/PAS) with pendant primary amine functionality (number average molecular weight = 65–133 kg mol^?1, dispersity (?)=1.83–2.53, molar composition of PAS in copolymer F_PAS = 0.03–0.14, molar composition of AN = F_AN = 0.27–0.52). The non‐functional MA/AN and amino functional MA/AN/PAS were each melt blended into PE that was grafted with maleic anhydride (PE‐g‐MAnn) at 200 °C at 70:30 wt % PE‐g‐MAnn:co/terpolymer. After extrusion, the dispersed phase particle size (volume to surface area diameter, ) was coarse (12.6 μm) for the non‐reactive blend whereas it was much lower for the reactive blend ( = 1.2 μm). Coarsening after annealing at 150 °C was slow, but the domain sizes increased only slightly for both cases. The reactive blend was deemed sufficiently stable and thus was suitable as a candidate barrier material for further testing against olefins. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44177.     

Preparation of nonwoven mats of electrospun poly(lactic acid)/polyaniline blend nanofibers: A new approach

The preparation of nonwoven mats of electrospun poly(lactic acid)/polyaniline (PANI) blend nanofibers faces some critical challenges that will be addressed in the present work. The challenges are in achieving high and adjustable content of PANI while keeping the spinnable solution nonagglomerated with no need to further filtration that might lead to wrong estimation of PANI content in the mat. We report an unprecedented content of 40% wt of PANI that is achieved using a new two‐step procedure. It is based on: (1) the preparation of the spinnable solution from a friable nonagglomerated and readily dispersible PANI: ‐TSA powder and (2) the use of an optimized mixture of ‐cresol/dichloromethane. The obtained nanofiber mats are characterized by FTIR and UV–vis spectroscopy. The morphology and the thermal stability of the nanofibers are investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The amorphous structure of the nanofibers is verified using XRD measurements. The DC‐conductivity of these blend nanofibers is found to be far larger than the published DC‐conductivity values for blend nanofibers of PANI with PLLA or with other polymers. This is attributed to the high content of PANI in the blend and to the role played by ‐cresol as a secondary dopant. The investigation of the aging effect on the DC‐conductivity reveals an exponential decrease with a characteristic time of weeks. The electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) shows a pure ohmic behavior of the blend mat. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43687.     

Preparation and characterization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) copolyesters modified with sodium‐5‐sulfo‐bis‐(hydroxyethyl)‐isophthalate and poly(ethylene glycol)

Two types of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) copolyesters were successfully prepared with sodium‐5‐sulfo‐bis‐(hydroxyethyl)‐isophthalate (SIPE) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) units with different molecular weights named as cationic dyeable polyester and easy cationic dyeable polyester. Their chemical and crystalline structures were characterized by the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), and small angle X‐ray scattering measurement, and their thermal properties were tested by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. NMR experimental results showed that the actual molar ratio of comonomers was basically consistent with the correlative feed ratio. WAXD results indicated that the crystalline structures of prepared copolyesters were similar to that of PET. Moreover, the glass transition temperature, melting temperature, and thermal degradation temperature were found to decrease with the reduction of the of PEG units as the incorporation of lower of PEG units brought more ether bonds into molecular chains, which increased the irregularity of molecular chain arrangement and led to lower crystallinity. In addition, because the incorporation of PEG units with lower molecular weight led to more ether bonds and hydroxyl end‐groups in molecular chains, the value of contact angle of PET copolyesters dropped, manifesting PET copolyesters had better hydrophilicity with the decreasing molecular weight of PEG units.© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 39823.     

Competitive adsorption of Ag (I) and Cu (II) by tripolyphosphate crosslinked chitosan beads

Alkalization of chitosan before crosslinking was applied in this study to enhance the adsorption capacity of the modified chitosan. Competitive adsorption of Ag (I) and Cu (II) from bimetallic solutions was studied using the newly synthesized tripolyphosphate crosslinked alkalized chitosan beads. Results indicated that alkalization before crosslinking helps to protect amine group from crosslinking and hence increases the uptake capacity and selectively of the synthesized beads toward Ag (I). The maximum uptakes of Ag (I) and Cu (II) were 82.9 and 15.5 mg g^?1, respectively, at room temperature with an initial concentration of each metal being 2.0 mM and the sorbent dosage of 1.0 g L^?1. The uptake of Ag (I) and Cu (II) by the beads can be better described by Langmuir isotherm and pseudo‐second rate equation. Analyses from FTIR and XPS confirmed that free amine, hydroxyl, and groups are involved in metal binding with amine and hydroxyl groups more selective to Ag (I). © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42717.     

Synthesis and characterization of conducting copolymer of Trans‐1‐(4‐methyl‐3′‐thienyl)‐2‐(ferrocenyl)ethene with EDOT

Ferrocene‐substituted conducting polymer namely poly(trans‐1‐(4‐methyl‐3′‐thienyl)‐2‐(ferrocenyl)ethene‐co‐3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) [P(MTFE‐co‐EDOT)] was synthesized and its electrochromic properties were studied. Monomer, MTFE, was obtained using 2‐(ferrocenyl)ethene and 3‐methyl‐4‐bromothiophene. The structure of monomer was determined via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ¹H‐NMR, and ¹³C‐NMR techniques. The copolymer was synthesized using this monomer and EDOT. The resulting copolymer P(MTFE‐co‐EDOT) was characterized by cyclic voltammetry, FTIR, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and UV–vis spectroscopy. The conductivity measurements of copolymer and PEDOT were accomplished by the four‐probe technique. Although poly(trans‐1‐(4‐methyl‐3′‐thienyl)‐2‐(ferrocenyl)ethene) [P(MTFE)] reveals no electrochromic activity, its copolymer with EDOT has two different colors (violet and gray). Band gap (E_g) and λ_max of P(MTFE‐co‐EDOT) were determined. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Sorption and thermal properties of strongly basic cross‐linked ionic polymer modified with Cr(III) compounds

AV‐17(Cr) material was prepared by modifying a commercial polymer AV‐17 (initially bearing R4N⁺ functional groups) with Cr(III) compounds was investigated. Comparative isotherms characterizing the and ion sorption from solution with pH values of 3 and 8, respectively, at 19°C and 60°C, were obtained using the raw AV‐17(Cl) and the modified AV‐17(Cr) material. The sorption process on AV‐17(Cr) takes place through the coordination of Cr(VI) ions with Cr(III) ions, while on AV‐17(Cl) it is due to an ion exchange mechanism. The sorption isotherms obtained in pH 8 solutions fit perfectly the Langmuir model. The thermodynamic functions ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS characteristic to the adsorption of ions from K₂CrO₄ solutions with pH = 8 were calculated. The active sites belonging to the AV‐17(Cr) material were identified as jarosite type compounds of Cr(III). SEM images show that the Cr(III) compounds are present in the form of ultrafine particles located on the surface and within the bulk phase of the polymer granules. Comparative thermal degradation process of both the AV‐17(Cr) and the AV‐17(Cl) material was conducted in air and in an inert atmosphere (He). The thermal degradation mechanism of sorbent AV‐17(Cr) and exchanger AV‐17(Cl) is proposed. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41306.     

Metal ion adsorption behavior of poly[3‐(dimethylamine)propyl acrylate] and poly[3‐(dimethylamine)propylacrylate‐co‐acrylic acid] resins

Two resins were synthesized by radical polymerization using N,N′‐methylene‐bis‐acrylamide and ammonium persulfate as the crosslinking reagent and initiator, respectively. The yields were 98%. The resins were characterized by FTIR and UV‐Vis spectroscopy. Sorption behavior of resins toward Hg(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), Pb(II), and Cr(III) ions was studied at different pHs depending on the metal ion. Both resins showed selective sorption to Hg(II) ions at pH 2 from a mixture of all ions.The elution of Hg(II) bound to the resins was also investigated using perchloric acid at different concentrations. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 1251–1256, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10455     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(thiophen‐3‐yl acetic acid 4‐pyrrol‐1‐yl phenyl ester‐co‐N‐methylpyrrole) and its application in an electrochromic device

Copolymer of thiophen‐3‐yl acetic acid 4‐pyrrol‐1‐yl phenyl ester (TAPE) with N‐methylpyrrole (NMPy) was synthesized by potentiostatic electrochemical polymerization in acetonitrile–tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate solvent–electrolyte couple. The chemical structures were confirmed via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and UV–vis spectroscopy. Electrochromic and spectroelectrochemical properties of poly(TAPE‐co‐NMPy) [P(TAPE‐co‐NMPy)] were investigated. Results showed that the copolymer revealed color change between light yellow and green upon doping and dedoping of the copolymer, with a moderate switching time. Furthermore, as an application, dual‐type absorptive/transmissive polymer electrochromic device (ECD) based on poly(TAPE‐co‐NMPy) and poly(3,4‐ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT) have been assembled, where spectroelectrochemistry, switching ability, stability, and optical memory of the ECD were investigated. Results showed that the device exhibited good optical memory and stability with moderate switching time. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 1988–1994, 2006     

High‐performing dye‐sensitized solar cells based on reduced graphene oxide/PEDOT‐PSS counter electrodes with sulfuric acid post‐treatment

Four kinds of counter electrodes are prepared with polystyrene‐sulfonate doped poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT‐PSS) as basic material, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets as additives and H₂SO₄ as treating agent. The cyclic voltammetry and Tafel polarization are measured to evaluate catalytic activity of these counter electrodes for /I^? redox couple. It is found that H₂SO₄ treated rGO and PEDOT‐PSS hybrid counter electrode (S/rGO/PEDOT‐PSS counter electrode) has the highest catalytic activity among these counter electrodes. Power conversion efficiency of the dye‐sensitized solar cell with S/rGO/PEDOT‐PSS counter electrode can attain to 7.065%, distinctly higher than that of the cells with the other three ones, owing to the great enhanced fill factor and short‐circuit current density. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42648.