Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/Mesoporous Carbon Composite

A new type of organic−inorganic poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) PEDOT/mesoporous carbon composite was first synthesized by a simple in situ polymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene monomer within the mesopores and on the particle surface of CMK-3. The composition, morphology, and structure of the composite were investigated by thermal analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and FT-IR. The composite contained 67.3 wt % of PEDOT and 32.2 wt % of CMK-3 carbon after the mass of the physically adsorbed water was subtracted. Electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) images clearly showed that PEDOT polymer was equally deposited on the surface of CMK-3 nanoparticles. SEM images also displayed the morphological similarity to the support CMK-3 carbon except for the bigger size of the nanoparticles in the composite due to the coverage of polymer PEDOT on the support CMK-3 carbon. FT-IR and XPS analysis showed that PEDOT had been prepared in the resultant composite. The performance of this interesting composite is being investigated.