Preparation of Novel Commercial Polyaniline Composites for Ammonia Detection

Abstract

Polyaniline (PANI) is one of the unique conducting polymers due to tunable conductivity, acid-base chemistry and optical properties. In this study, commercial PANI was used to prepare PANI/shell composites to enhance the sensitivity of PANI in ammonia (NH3) gas detection. Three types of waste shells were utilized to incorporate into the PANI matrix such as egg shells (ES), crab shells (CS) and mussel shells (MS). The characterizations were done by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometer. FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of CaCO3 in the PANI/shell composites’ backbone. Whereas, UV-Vis spectra further confirmed the PANI/shell composites were in the doped state by exhibiting a characteristic peak at ~790-820 nm. Sensor performance of commercial PANI and PANI/shell composite films were studied in terms of sensor measurement and sensor performances (selectivity, reusability and long-term stability). The sensor performances of commercial PANI, PANI/ES and PANI/CS exhibited correlation coefficient of >0.95. In addition, commercial PANI and PANI/CS films exhibited good selectivity for NH3 gas detection in the presence of interfering gases. In conclusion, PANI/shell composites were successfully prepared for NH3 gas detection and PANI/CS exhibited the highest sensitivity compared to other films.