A facile synthesis of a novel three-phase nanocomposite: Single-wall carbon nanotube/silver nanohybrid fibers embedded in sulfonated polyaniline

A three-phase water-soluble nanocomposite of single wall carbon nanotube/silver nanoparticle hybrid fibers embedded in sulfonated polyaniline has been synthesized by a simple chemical solution mixing process. The nanocomposite has been characterized by high resolution electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, FTIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Optical and electrical characteristics of the nanocomposite have been determined by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and four-probe electrical conductivity measurement. A surface plasmon absorption band obtained around 460 nm indicates the presence of silver nanoparticles in the composite. The optical band gap calculation for sulfonated polyaniline vis-a-vis the nanocomposite supported the conductivity measurement. Over 1300 times increase in DC electrical conductivity has been observed for the three-phase nanocomposite, with a filler loading of 20 wt %, at 306 K. This observation could be explained by Mott's variable range hopping model considering a three-dimensional conduction. Such a nanocomposite has immense potential for use as a cathode material in lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41692.