We have prepared hybrid materials composed of ruthenium nanoparticles (Ru-NPs) and polyaniline (PANI) nanofibers. The NPs can be rapidly synthesized by microwave irradiation and the nanofibers are easily obtained by oxidative polymerization. The Ru-NPs are prepared in the presence of preformed nanofibers, which prevent them from aggregating by dispersing them in a high surface area polymer scaffold. These composites are characterized by UV-Vis, FTIR, SEM, and EDS to examine the effects of irradiation time and temperature, reagent concentrations, and the PANI oxidation state (emeraldine salt or base). For instance, SEM images indicate that Ru<sup>+3</sup> reduced by NaBH<sub>4</sub> produces well dispersed NPs, whereas reduction via glucose yields larger irregularly shaped structures. We are currently optimizing the preparation conditions so that we may test their catalytic activity toward the degradation of the toxic azo dye congo red, a model compound that is representative of a variety of industrial pollutants.

Polyaniline nanofibers as a scaffolding material for ruthenium nanoparticles

254th National Meeting (2017)

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