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Visible‐Light‐Driven Production of Poly(α‐terthiophene)–Au Nanoparticle Functional Hybrid Material
Author(s) -
Bera Raj Kumar,
Bhunia Prasenjit,
Chakrabartty Sukanta,
Raj C. Retna
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
chemnanomat
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.947
H-Index - 32
ISSN - 2199-692X
DOI - 10.1002/cnma.201500111
Subject(s) - nanocomposite , terthiophene , nanoparticle , materials science , photocurrent , photoexcitation , stacking , polymer , lamellar structure , raman spectroscopy , chemical engineering , visible spectrum , phthalocyanine , polymer chemistry , photochemistry , nanotechnology , chemistry , organic chemistry , composite material , optoelectronics , optics , engineering , physics , nuclear physics , excited state
A novel one‐step visible‐light‐driven synthesis of Au nanoparticle–poly(α‐terthiophene) (nAu‐poly(α‐TT)) functional nanocomposites and their electrocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic applications are described. The visible‐light‐induced electron transfer between α‐TT and Au III ion yields nAu‐poly(α‐TT) nanocomposite material. The nAu‐poly(α‐TT) shows characteristic diffraction corresponding to the well‐organized lamellar structure of the polymer and Au nanoparticles. The nanoparticles inside the polymer matrix increase the interlayer spacing and stacking distance of the polymer planes. Remarkable enhancement in the Raman signature of poly(α‐TT) due to the embedded Au nanoparticles was observed. The nanocomposite favors the selective electrochemical oxidation of hydrophobic analytes. The photoexcitation of the nanocomposite with white light at potentials more negative than −0.3 V (Ag/AgCl) yields cathodic photocurrent, which is >500 times higher than that of the free poly(α‐TT).