The study on the application of solid-state method for synthesizing the polyaniline/noble metal (Au or Pt) hybrid materials

The solid-state method was applied for synthesizing polyaniline (PANI)/noble metal hybrid materials with the presence of HAuCl4·4H2O or H2PtCl6·6H2O in the reaction medium. The structure, morphology, and electrochemical activity of the composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, UV-visible (vis) absorption spectra, energy dispersive spectrum (EDS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and cyclic voltammetry. The results from FTIR and UV-vis spectra showed that the oxidation degree and doping level of the PANI in composites can be influenced by HAuCl4·4H2O and H2PtCl6·6H2O. The EDS data demonstrated that the composites contain a certain amount of Au (or Pt) element. XRD analysis indicated the presence of crystalline-state Au particles in PANI matrix prepared from the presence of HAuCl4·4H2O and revealed that the H2PtCl6·6H2O cannot be converted into metal Pt. The TEM and SEM images implied that the Au particles did exist in the polymer matrix with the size of about 20 nm. The enzymeless H2O2 sensor constructed with PANI/Au composite from the presence of HAuCl4·4H2O showed a short response time (within 5 s) and displayed an excellent performance in wide linear range.