Influence of imidazolium-based ionic liquids on the performance of polyaniline-CoFe2O4 nanocomposites

Using cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄) nanoparticles of different content as nucleation sites, polyaniline-CoFe₂O₄ nanofiber composites were successfully synthesized at the interface of water and ionic liquid via in-situ polymerization. Structure and morphology were investigated by TGA, TEM, XRD, and FT-IR. The influence of ionic liquids on the structure, conductivity and magnetic property of polyaniline-CoFe₂O₄ nanocomposites were studied in detail. The results show that imidazolium-based ionic liquids BMIPF₆ acts as an anchor agent during the nanofiber composites formation process. Introduction of ionic liquids obviously improves the conductivity but weakens the magnetization of polyaniline-CoFe₂O₄ nanocomposites in the same [CoFe₂O₄]/[An] ratio.