In situ chemically polymerised polyaniline nanolayer: Characterisation and sensing materials

Abstract

An experiment has been carried out to study the formation and characterisation of polyaniline (PANi) nanolayer growth directly on glass and alumina substrate by in situ chemical polymerisation. It has been found that the growth mode of the PANi nanolayer depends on the synthesis time and mechanical agitation. The difference in growth modes results in the form of granular, planar or fibrillar structure and then affects the chemical and electronic structure of the PANi nanolayer. As a result of gas-PANi chain interaction the resistance of the PANi nanolayer is highly sensitive to a variety of gases in environment such as oxygen (oxidising agent), NH3 (reducing agent) and so forth. The feature enables PANi nanolayer made by in situ chemical polymerisation, a promising candidate for gas sensing materials.