Gas sensing of colloidal polyaniline in a chemoresistor consisting of nanometer electrodes

The high conductivity of colloid-conducting polymers is explained by the networking structures and the hopping mechanisms of the metallic particles [1], [2] and [4]. To observe how the metallic region and the networking structures differ in sensing NH₃ gas, E-beam lithography and electromigration were used to make chemoresistors with nanometer-gap electrodes. Colloid Pani was coated on a nanometer gap as a reaction matrix for the gas. The I-V curves were measured in a vacuum and the NH₃ gas was nonlinear. In sensors with a gap of less than 10 nm, there was a two- or threefold increase in the conductivity, and the work function decreased from 600 meV in a vacuum to 250 meV in NH₃ gas. In contrast, the conductivity of sensors with gaps of 200 and 500 nm decreased to 1/1000 in the NH₃ gas environment. The decrease of the conductivity can be explained by electron-hole annihilation, which appears to occur on the surface of the secondary particles. With comb-type electrodes, the operating voltage can be decreased by three orders of magnitude. In electrodes with 200 and 500 nm gaps, the I-V has a step-type response to NH₃ gas.     

Chemical polymerization of aniline using periodic acid in acetonitrile

The chemical polymerization of aniline in anhydrous medium was investigated using periodic acid, H₅IO₆ as an oxidant. This is the first time that H₅IO₆ has been used as an oxidant in the chemical synthesis of conductive polymers. The product was characterized by FTIR, UV–vis spectroscopies, scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, and electrical conductivity measurements. EDX and thermogravimetric analysis showed that Pani includes ClO₄⁻ and iodine or iodide ion as dopants. Electrical conductivity of polyaniline with H₅IO₆ was measured as 100 S cm⁻¹. H₅IO₆ oxidant produces first IO₃⁻ and then I₂. Therefore, it could ensure both oxidation of aniline by IO₃⁻ and then doping polyaniline with I₂, without any residual oxidant contamination. I₂, which is a well known extrinsic dopant, was produced intrinsically in this study. Thus, H₅IO₆ was found to be an effective oxidant material for the chemical polymerization of aniline.     

High photocatalytic performance for hydrogen production under visible light on the hetero-junction Pani-ZnO nanoparticles

The present work is devoted to the preparation of the hetero-junction of Polyaniline-Zinc oxide nanoparticles (Pani-ZnO_Nps) and its photo-electrochemistry to assess its photocatalytic properties for the water reduction into hydrogen. The semiconducting characterization of the Pani-ZnO_Nps synthetized by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization was studied for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) upon visible light illumination. The forbidden bands E_g (= 1.64 eV, Pani) and (3.20 eV, ZnO_NPS) were extracted from the UV–Visible diffuse reflectance data. The Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) showed the predominance of the intrinsic material with a bulk impedance of 71 kΩ cm². The semi conductivity was demonstrated by the capacitance measurements with flat band potentials (E_fb = - 0.7 and - 0.3 V_SCE) and carriers concentrations (N_A = 1.77 × 10¹⁹ and N_D = 4.80 × 10²⁰ cm^?3) respectively for Pani and ZnO_NPS. The energetic diagram of the hetero-junction Pani-ZnO_Nps predicts electrons injection from Pani to ZnO_NPS in KOH electrolyte. An improvement of 78% for the evolved hydrogen was obtained, compared to Pani alone; a liberation rate of 61.16 μmol g^?1 min^?1 and a quantum yield of 1.15% were obtained. More interestingly, the photoactivity was fully restored after three consecutive cycles with a zero-deactivation effect, indicating clearly the reusability of the catalyst over several cycles.     

Conducting polymer coated carbon surfaces and biosensor applications

This review article focuses on several approaches in the characterization and modification of carbon surfaces with electrocoated thin films which has been realized by recent progress in experimental methods. Electropolymerization and electrocopolymerization of π-conjugated polymers (pyrrole, carbazole, N-vinylcarbazole and aniline) onto carbon surfaces are reviewed with 348 references. Particular emphasis is placed on the recent nanoscale surface characterization techniques applied to the resulting electrocoated polymers onto carbon fibers (i.e., scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), focused ion beam-secondary ion mass spectroscopy (FIB-SIMS), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (reflectance-FTIR), and Raman spectroscopic measurements).     

Development and application of vanadium oxide/polyaniline composite as a novel cathode catalyst in microbial fuel cell

Polyaniline (Pani), vanadium oxide (V₂O₅), and Pani/V₂O₅ nanocomposite were fabricated and applied as a cathode catalyst in Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) as an alternative to Pt (Platinum), which is a commonly used expensive cathode catalyst. The cathode catalysts were characterized using Cyclic Voltammetry and Linear Sweep Voltammetry to determine their oxygen reduction activity; furthermore, their structures were observed by X‐ray Diffraction, X‐ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, and Field‐Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy. The results showed that Pani/V₂O₅ produced a power density of 79.26 mW/m², which is higher than V₂O₅ by 65.31 mW/m² and Pani by 42.4 mW/m². Furthermore, the Coulombic Efficiency of the system using Pani/V₂O₅ (16%) was higher than V₂O₅ and Pani by 9.2 and 5.5%, respectively. Pani–V₂O₅ also produced approximately 10% more power than Pt, the best and most common cathode catalyst. It declares that Pani–V₂O₅ can be a suitable alternative for application in a MFC system. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

W/O微乳液法制备Ni-Zr/Pani电催化剂及其性能

通过反相微乳液法(W/O)制备了金属质量分数为40%的不同原子比的Ni-Zr/Pani催化剂。采用SEM和XRD分析了催化剂的形态,循环伏安法考察了催化剂对甲醇的电催化性能。结果表明,当微乳液ω=7.52制备的Ni和Zr原子比=1∶〖KG-*2〗1时,催化剂成球形非晶态,在常温2 mol·L^-1的甲醇硫酸溶液中,Ni₁Zr₁/Pani表现出较好的电催化性能,其氧化电位为1.046 V,氧化电流密度为4.44 mA·cm^-2。     

Morphology and Thermal Stability of Electrically Conducting Nanocomposites Prepared by Sulfosalicylic Acid Micelles Assisted Polymerization of Aniline in Presence of ZrO2 Nanoparticles

Electrically conductive polyaniline (Pani)/zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) nanocomposites were prepared by in-situ oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of sulfosalicylic acid (SSA), HCl and different amounts of ZrO₂ nanoparticles. Pani/ZrO₂ nanocomposites were characterized by Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The stability of the nanocomposites in terms of DC electrical conductivity retention was also studied in ambient atmosphere by isothermal ageing and cyclic ageing techniques. Pani/ZrO₂ nanocomposites were observed to be more conducting than Pani but showed poorer stability in terms of DC electrical conductivity retention under ambient environmental conditions.     

The Olympic Games and the Production of the Public Realm: Mexico City 1968 and Rio de Janeiro 2016

For Brazil, which is currently the world's eighth largest economy and is tipped to become the fifth, the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016 represent a unique opportunity. Fernanda Canales looks at Rio de Janeiro 2016 in light of Mexico City 1968, and considers how the Games should provide an occasion for both urban regeneration and also recasting the city's often previously conflicting image for an international audience. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.