ИСТИНА

Water-dispersible carbon nanotubes/PANI composites of uniform structure were prepared. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes were previously functionalized with sulfophenyl groups via diazotation reaction to obtain sulfonated nanotubes (sNT) with high dispersibility in aqueous medium up to 1 mg/mL. Oxidative chemical polymerization of aniline was then carried out in sNT aqueous dispersions. As a result, uniform PANI layers were formed at the nanotubes surfaces. The presence of sulfonic groups provided the dispersibility of PANI/sNT complexes. Mechanically stable free-standing composite films were cast from prepared PANI/sNT dispersions. Electrical conductivity of sNT/PANI films was found to be several times higher than that of both sNT and PANI individual components. Electrochemical properties of the composites were studied by cyclic voltammetry.