Inorganic-Based Nanocomposites of Conductive Polymers

Department of Chemistry, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada 

The first intercalation chemistry was reported in 1841 by Schafifautl, who successfully intercalated sulfate ions into graphite. After this pioneering work, fascination with intercalation chemistry did not start until the 1960s. The synthesis and study of intercalation compounds are both useful and rewarding. Intercalated phases have found applications as electrodes in high-energy-density batteries [9] and as catalytic materials [10]. Since the 

Nanostructured Conductive Polymers Edited by Ali Eftekhari 2010 John Wiley Sons, Ltd 

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Inorganic-Based Nanocomposites of Conductive Polymers 263 Table 6.1 Summary of data on the FeOCI system... 

Inorganic-Based Nanocomposites of Conductive Polymers 267 Table 6.2 Polymer/intercalatedphases of V20s.nH20... 

Incorporation of an inorganic secondary component into the matrix of conducting polymers is a useful approach to improve the functionality of conducting polymer-based nanocomposites. Nanoparticles of metal or metal oxide and other nanostructures such as graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNT) are used as dispersoid within conducting polymer matrix depending on the requirements. The shape, size, aspect ratio and the interfacial adhesion between the matrix and dispersoid affect the properties of the hybrid nanocomposites [28]. The synthesis, properties, and applications of different conducting polymer-based hybrid nanocomposites are discussed below. 

In summary, CPs offer numerous advantages over inorganic semiconductors for thermoelectric applications because of their unique properties. However, the poor electrical transport properties have impeded their practical application as TE materials in the past. Recent studies indicate that incorporating the inorganic nanoparticle into polymer matrix is an effective way to improve the electrical transport properties of CPs, including electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient, while keep the thermal conductivity at low level simultaneously. Consequently, the power factors of most CP-based nanocomposites are about 2 3 orders of magnitude higher than those of conventional pure CPs and the maximum ZT value is up to 0.1 at present. 

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