Nanocomposites of inorganic nanomaterials and conductive polymers (CPs) have received special attention due to the expected synergistic contributions of both organic and inorganic components. Some practical applications of nanocomposites containing silica and conducting polymers were extensively studied by Armes et al. (M. Gill, S. P. Armes, Langmuir., 1992, 8, 2178; S. Maeda, S. P. Armes, J. Mater.Chem., 1994, 4, 935). Nanocomposites of functional polythiophene are relatively unexplored. For example, nanometre-sized PEDOT-silica core-shell particles were already synthesized using an oxidative dispersion approach, i.e. precipitation of the insoluble PEDOT polymer onto a silica particle surface.

To the best of our knowledge, no extensive studies dealing with the fabrication of silica/polythiophene nanoparticles of a core-shell morphology prepared using an approach based on  hybrid silica particles were ever undertaken in this field. Herein, we report the synthesis of hybrid silica/polyThiophene nanocomposite particles using a multi-step synthetic procedure. First, a hydrolytically unstable triethoxysilane-N-thiophenyl anchoring species was prepared (amide chemistry). Second, a Water in Oil (W/O) micro-emulsion method using TEOS and the former N-thiophenyl-Si(EtO)₃-silane afforded corresponding hybrid silica nanoparticles (190-280 nm average diameter). These hybrid silica nanoparticles possessed surface-localized N-thiophenyl anchoring groups that were used for the preparation of the corresponding core-shell nanocomposite particles using the FeCl₃-mediated chemical oxidative polymerization of various thiophenyl derivatives such as polyThp and poly(3-Thp-acetic acid).

• Legal notice:
  

  Copyright (c) Pielaszek Research, all rights reserved.
  The above materials, including auxiliary resources, are subject to Publisher's copyright and the Author(s) intellectual rights. Without limiting Author(s) rights under respective Copyright Transfer Agreement, no part of the above documents may be reproduced without the express written permission of Pielaszek Research, the Publisher. Express permission from the Author(s) is required to use the above materials for academic purposes, such as lectures or scientific presentations.
  In every case, proper references including Author(s) name(s) and URL of this webpage: https://science24.com/paper/16062 must be provided.

1. Core-shell and raspberry-like nanocomposites based on hybrid silica nanoparticles and on a functional polycarbazole polymer