Ag Nps@PEDOT Nanocomposite Electrosynthesis at a Polarised Liquid|Liquid Interface

One of Material Science's main challenges is constantly searching for new versatile materials. In this sense, nanocomposites have emerged as an alternative to new substrates due to their unique properties. These hybrid systems are made up of organic polymers with inorganic components. This ideal "tandem" is made up of organic polymers (for example, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), polypyrrole (PPy) and polyaniline (PANI)) with conductive characteristics because of their highly p-conjugated polymeric chains, unique properties, reversible doping/de-doping processes, and controllable chemical/electrochemical properties. Inorganic compounds, such as metallic nanoparticles (NPs), in the organic matrix provide a high surface area and conductivity, acting as protuberances and highly conductive fillers to form a class of material with multidisciplinary applications [1]. There are several methods to generate organic polymers; the electrochemical process is one of the most used due to its versatility and simplicity. This method implies the electrodeposition of the organic polymer on an electrode surface, eliminating the possibility of obtaining a polymeric material separated from the electrode surface and limiting the areas of applicability (polymer firmly attached to the electrode surface). In this sense, the use of a polarised immiscible liquid|liquid (L|L) interfaces is demonstrated as a novel approach for the electrosynthesis of surfactant-free organic thin films, allowing complete control over the thin film morphology [2]. In this work, we present the electrosynthesis of silver nanoparticles@PEDOT nanocomposites based on EDOT polymerization (PEDOT) and the formation of silver nanoparticles by electrochemical polymerisation at a polarised L|L interface. In thermodynamic terms, the oxidant potential of silver ions is insufficient to oxidise 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene and generate PEDOT. However, under specific conditions (detailed in this presentation), silver ions are reduced while EDOT monomers are oxidised to PEDOT. A deep knowledge of biphasic electropolymerisation coupled with silver nanoparticle formation will help advance the search for new materials for a broad spectrum of applications (antibacterial, electrocatalysis, SERS substrates, biocompatibility substrates, etc.).