Effect of Titanium Dioxide and Carbon Nanotubes on Polyaniline Nanocomposites for Heavy Metals Removal

摘要

The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of incorporation of titanium dioxide (TiO_2) nanoparticles, single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) in polyaniline (PAni) nanocomposites for heavy metals removal application. Nanocomposites of PAni/ HA, PAni/HA/TiO_2, PAni/HA/TiO_2/SWNT and PAni/HA/TiO_2/MWNT were synthesised using template free method and their chemical structures were examined by Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) Spectrophotometry and X-ray Diffractometry (XRD). The surface morphology, thermal behavior and electrical conductivity were studied via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry (TGA) analyses and resistivity meter, respectively. The incorporation of TiO_2 nanoparticles in PAni nanocomposites improved the thermal stability but reduced the electrical conductivity of pristine PAni from 2.1×10~(-1) S/cm to 1.5×10~(-1) S/cm. The incorporation of SWNT in PAni nanocomposites improved the thermal stability and enhanced the electrical conductivity of PAni nanocomposites from 2.1×10~(-1) S/cm (pristine PAni) to 7.5×10~(-1) S/cm. The flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS) was used in the determination of the efficacy in heavy metals removal. It was found that the efficiency in heavy metals removal by PAni/HA/TiO_2/SWNT had the ascending order of Pb~(2+).