Nanocomposite of 2-Aminophenol with Aniline Using Copper-Montmorillonite: Synthesis, Characterization, Conductivity, and Electrochemical Study

ABSTRACT Polymer/clay nanocomposite particles with 2‐aminophenol (2AP) and polyaniline and modified montmorillonite by copper minerals were synthesized using an in situ intercalative oxidative polymerization method. The nanocomposites were characterized by elementary analysis, X‐ray diffraction, FTIR, thermogravimetric analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and conductivity measurements. The insertion of the polymer into the layer of the clay was confirmed by X‐ray diffraction analysis, which shows a significantly larger d spacing expansion from 13.35 to 13.45 Å, thus indicating that the conducting polymer chain was aligned with layers of the clay. The conductivity of the nanocomposites salt is between 8.87×10−5 and 9.78×10−4 S/cm, probably due to the confined environment in the nanometer size layers of the nanocomposite. The electrochemical behavior of the polymers extracted from the nanocomposites has been studied by cyclic voltammetry. Good electrochemical response has been observed for polymers grown into M‐Cu; the redox processes indicate that the polymerization into M‐Cu is electroactive.