Preparation and characterization of poly(2‐chloroaniline)/SiO₂ nanocomposite via oxidative polymerization: Comparative UV–vis studies into different solvents of poly(2‐chloroaniline) and poly(2‐chloroaniline)/SiO₂

Poly(2‐chloroaniline)/silica (P2ClAn)/SiO 2 nanocomposites have been chemically prepared by oxidative polymerization of 2‐chloroaniline in acidic medium containing SiO 2 . The prepared composites were characterized by FTIR, UV–vis, TGA, XRD, SEM, ESEM, conductivity, and magnetic susceptibility. The incorporation of P2ClAn in composites was endorsed by FTIR studies. The effect of the solution concentration of P2ClAn and P2ClAn/SiO 2 prepared in protonated, deprotonated, and reprotonated structures on the UV–vis spectra was investigated into three different solvents (DMF, NMP, and H 2 SO 4 ). In all forms, the oxidation state of P2ClAn and P2ClAn/SiO 2 composite increased with increasing concentration of the testing solution into H 2 SO 4 . Thermogravimetric study exhibited that the composite has a higher thermal stability than P2ClAn. XRD measurement of the composite revealed that the crystal structure of incorporated SiO 2 undergone a distortion and converted into amorphous. Thus, the XRD pattern of P2ClAn was predominant. SEM analysis results revealed interesting morphological features for the composites converted to different forms and confirmed the formation of monodispersed composite particles. ESEM image of P2ClAn/SiO 2 has particle diameter of less than 1 μm. The conductivity of P2ClAn and P2ClAn/SiO 2 was measured by four‐probe technique. Magnetic susceptibility measurements revealed that the composite has a paramagnetic properties.