Palladium nanoparticles in poly(o-phenylenediamine):: Synthesis of a nanostructured 'metal-polymer' composite material

We report here on an in-situ synthetic method for the preparation of a metal-polymer composite material. This technique offers a route to achieving an intimate contact between the polymer and the metal nanoparticles. Very small palladium nanoparticles (greater than or similar to 3 nm) are uniformly dispersed and highly stabilized throughout the macromolecular chain, forming a uniform metal-polymer composite material. The resultant composite material was characterized by means of different techniques, such as IR and Raman spectroscopy, which offered information about the chemical structure of polymer, whereas electron microscopy images provided information regarding the morphology of the composite material and the distribution of the metal particles in the composite material.