Optical and micro-analytical study of a copper-conjugated polymer composite

Abstract

An oriented morphology of a conjugated polymer has been synthesized by using cupric sulfate as the oxidizing agent. A one pot, in-situ chemical synthesis approach has been utilized in which cupric sulfate is reduced during the polymerization process and forms copper nanoparticles, which are evenly dispersed in the polymer fiber. The elemental identity of the nanoparticles was determined by means of EDX analyses and EELS mapping for the copper using analytical transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The TEM images at higher magnifications showed that the copper particles were highly dispersed throughout the polymer matrix. Optical properties of the polymer were studied by UV-vis, Infrared and Raman spectra analysis and provided information regarding the chemical structure of the polymer. A brief mechanistic approach regarding the formation of the fiber-like metal-polymer composite material is given. © 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.