Chemical synthesis and characterization of polyaniline-molybdenum trisulfide composite

A novel polyaniline-molybdenum trisulfide composite has been prepared by chemical polymerization from an acidic (1 M HCl) aqueous solution containing aniline and ammonium tetrathiomolybdate. The presence of molybdenum trisulfide in the polyaniline matrix induces morphological change to the polymer as evidenced by scanning electron micrographs. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry indicate that polyaniline-molybdenum trisulfide is slightly less crystalline than polyaniline-HCl, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and elemental analysis have been used to confirm the presence of molybdenum trisulfide in the polymer matrix. The XPS data also confirm that molybdenum trisulfide and tetrathiomolybdate anions are present with polyaniline to form a new inorganic-organic composite.