One-Pot Synthesis and Processing of Transparent, Conducting, and Freestanding Carbon Nanotubes/Polyaniline Composite Films

In this work, we report for the first time, the synthesis of several carbon nanotube (CNT)/polyaniline (PAN I) nanocomposites obtained through interfacial polymerization, in which the resulting material is obtained directly as a transparent and freestanding film at the water toluene interface. The films are obtained spontaneously with high stability and can be easily transferred with high optical quality to any kind of substrate or directly to a desirable device. Samples containing several CNT/PANI ratios have been prepared. The characterization of the resulting materials was carried out by FT-IR, UV-vis-NIR, and Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, cyclic voltammetry, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and conductivity measurements. The results indicate that the polymerization of aniline starts at the carbon nanotube walls, resulting in polymer-coated CNTs. A pi-pi interaction between the CNTs and the PANI is proposed. The formation of the self-standing films is discussed in terms of the stabilization of the water toluene interface.