The intrinsic redox states in polypyrrole and polyaniline: A comparative study by XPS

Super-Hygroscopic Calcium Chloride/Graphene Oxide/Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Gels for Spontaneous Harvesting of Atmospheric Water and Solar-Driven Water Release

Although atmospheric water harvesting is a promising approach for extracting clean water in water deficient areas, most atmospheric water collectors require additional energy for releasing the water absorbed. It is still challenging to improve both moisture absorption capacity and desorption efficiency of moisture water collectors. Inspired by clean solar energy and the large humidity difference between day and night, super-hygroscopic calcium chloride (CaCl2)/graphene oxide (GO)/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) gels are designed for spontaneous collection of atmospheric water in a wide range of relative humidity (RH) followed by solar-driven release of the water absorbed. An optimal CaCl2/GO/PNIPAM hygroscopic gel possesses a hierarchical porous structure with directional water transport channels, facilitating water capture and release, thus exhibiting a high moisture absorption capacity of up to 3.6 g g-1 at an RH of 90%. Driven by simulated sunlight, the solar-thermal energy conversion effect of the GO component triggers a unique hydrophilic-hydrophobic conformational transition and shrinkage of the PNIPAM for efficient release of the water absorbed. The integration of the spontaneous harvesting of atmospheric water and the solar-driven water release makes the super-hygroscopic gels promising for efficiently utilizing atmospheric water for special applications where water is desperately necessary but unavailable.

Tailoring Intrinsic Properties of Polyaniline by Functionalization with Phosphonic Groups

Phosphonated polyanilines were synthesized by copolymerization of aniline (ANI) with both 2- and 4-aminophenylphosphonic acids (APPA). The material composition and the final properties of the copolymers can be easily tailored by controlling the monomers ANI/APPA molar feed ratio. An important influence on the reactivity of monomers has been found with the substituent position in the ring, leading to differences in the properties and size of blocks of each monomer in the polymer. As expected, while 2APPA shows more similarities to ANI, 4APPA is much less reactive. Phosphorus loading of ~5 at% was achieved in the poly(aniline-co-2-aminophenylphosphonic acid) (PANI2APPA) with a 50/50 molar feed ratio. All the resulting copolymers were characterized by different techniques. Experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) computational calculations suggest that the presence of phosphonic groups in the polymeric chain gives rise to inter- and intra-chain interactions, as well as important steric effects, which induce a slight twist in the substituted PANI structure. Therefore, the physicochemical, electrical, and electrochemical properties are modified and can be suitably controlled.

Autonomous atmospheric water seeping MOF matrix

The atmosphere contains an abundance of fresh water, but this resource has yet to be harvested efficiently. To date, passive atmospheric water sorbents have required a desorption step that relies on steady solar irradiation. Since the availability and intensity of solar radiation vary, these limit on-demand desorption and hence the amount of harvestable water. Here, we report a polymer-metal-organic framework that provides simultaneous and uninterrupted sorption and release of atmospheric water. The adaptable nature of the hydro-active polymer, and its hybridization with a metal-organic framework, enables enhanced sorption kinetics, water uptake, and spontaneous water oozing. We demonstrate continuous water delivery for 1440 hours, producing 6 g of fresh water per gram of sorbent at 90% relative humidity (RH) per day without active condensation. This leads to a total liquid delivery efficiency of 95% and an autonomous liquid delivery efficiency of 71%, the record among reported atmospheric water harvesters.

Low Conductive Electrodeposited Poly(2,5-dimethoxyaniline) as a Key Material in a Double Lateral Heterojunction, for Sub-ppm Ammonia Sensing in Humid Atmosphere

We present a new device called a double lateral heterojunction (DLH) as an ammonia sensor in humid atmosphere. It combines polyaniline derivatives in their poor conducting state with a highly conductive molecular material, lutetium bisphthalocyanine, LuPc₂. Polyaniline and poly(2,5-dimethoxyaniline) are electrodeposited on ITO interdigitated electrodes, leading to an original device that can be obtained only by electrochemistry and not by other solution processing techniques. Both polymers lead to highly conducting materials that require a neutralization step before their coverage by LuPc₂. While the device based on polyaniline shows ohmic behavior, the nonlinear I- V characteristics of the poly(2,5-dimethoxyaniline)-based DLH prove the existence of energy barriers at the interfaces, as demonstrated by impedance spectroscopy. It exhibits a particularly interesting sensitivity to ammonia, at room temperature and in a broad relative humidity range. Thanks to its higher energy barriers, the poly(2,5-dimethoxyaniline)/LuPc₂ DLH is the most sensitive device with a limit of detection of 320 ppb. This work paves the way for the use of substituted polyanilines in conductometric sensors not only in the field of air quality monitoring but also in the field of health diagnosis by measurement in human breath.

Synthesis and characterization of crystalline poly(N-(2-hydroxyethyl)aniline) microspheres

Poly( N-(2-hydroxyethyl)aniline) microsphere was prepared in aqueous hydrochloric acid (HCl) in one step, using ammonium persulphate as an oxidant. The effect of monomer, oxidant, HCl concentrations and temperature on polymerization rates was investigated. The data show that polymerization rate increases with increasing reactant concentrations. In addition, the initial rate increases with raising the temperature. The apparent activation energy found was 57.4319 kJ/mole. Also, Δ H* and Δ S* found were 55.0691 kJ/mole and 78.3662 J/mole K respectively. Infrared and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and elemental analysis characterize the obtained polymer sample to confirm the suggested structure. The mechanism of the polymerization reaction are discussed.

One-step synthesis of graphene/polypyrrole nanofiber composites as cathode material for a biocompatible zinc/polymer battery

The significance of developing implantable, biocompatible, miniature power sources operated in a low current range has become manifest in recent years to meet the demands of the fast-growing market for biomedical microdevices. In this work, we focus on developing high-performance cathode material for biocompatible zinc/polymer batteries utilizing biofluids as electrolyte. Conductive polymers and graphene are generally considered to be biocompatible and suitable for bioengineering applications. To harness the high electrical conductivity of graphene and the redox capability of polypyrrole (PPy), a polypyrrole fiber/graphene composite has been synthesized via a simple one-step route. This composite is highly conductive (141 S cm(-1)) and has a large specific surface area (561 m(2) g(-1)). It performs more effectively as the cathode material than pure polypyrrole fibers. The battery constructed with PPy fiber/reduced graphene oxide cathode and Zn anode delivered an energy density of 264 mWh g(-1) in 0.1 M phosphate-buffer saline.

Polyaniline-carbon nanofiber composite by a chemical grafting approach and its supercapacitor application

Unlike conventional routes by van der Waals forces, a facile and novel approach using covalent bonding is established in the present work to synthesize polyaniline (PANI)-grafted carbon nanofiber (CNF) composites as promising supercapacitors. For this purpose, toluenediisocyanate was initially functionalized to carboxylated CNF via amidation followed by reaction with excess aniline to form a urea derivative and residual aniline, which was subsequently polymerized and grafted with a urea derivative. Amidation of CNF (TCNF) and, consequently, the grafting of PANI on TCNF were verified by IR, Raman, 1H NMR, X-ray photoelectron, and UV-visible spectroscopic methods, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. Morphological analysis revealed uniform distribution of PANI on the surface of TCNF, indicating strong interaction between them. Electrochemical tests of the composite containing 6 wt % TCNF demonstrated efficient capacitance of ∼557 F g(-1) with a capacity retention of 86% of its initial capacitance even after 2000 charge-discharge cycles at a current density of 0.3 A g(-1), suggesting its superiority compared to the materials formed by van der Waals forces. The remarkably enhanced electrochemical performance showed the importance of the phenyl-substituted amide linkage in the development of a π-conjugated structure, which facilitated charge transfer and, consequently, made it attractive for efficient supercapacitors.

Preparation and XPS studies of macromolecule mixed-valent Cu(I, II) and Fe(II, III) complexes

A new macromolecule ligand and its mixed-valent Cu(I, II) and Fe(II, III) complexes have been prepared by using ethylenediamine as core and maleic anhydride as branched units and characterized by UV-vis, FT-IR, thermal analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The data obtained from these studies suggested that the coordinate bonds of N-->M, Cl-->M, Ph-OH-->M and H(2)O-->M have been formed and possible binding models are proposed for these complexes. The thermal analysis (TG-DTG) reveals that these complexes possess thermal stable property below 800 degrees C.