Preparation of hybrid films of aluminosilicate nanofiber and conjugated polymer

We have demonstrated the preparation of hybrid films of aluminosilicate nanofiber (imogolite) and water-soluble poly(p-phenylene) (WS-PPP), which has sulfonate groups. The imogolite/WS-PPP hybrid gel could be prepared by mixing a solution of these two materials and subsequent centrifugation. The aluminol (AlOH) groups on the surface of imogolite would be protonated under acidic conditions to afford AlOH2+ groups that can interact with sulfonate groups (SO3−) of WS-PPP. Based on this ionic interaction, a layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly was applied to fabricate the hybrid films of imogolite nanofibers and WS-PPP. The deposited amounts of WS-PPP and imogolite were measured by quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) observation revealed that imogolite nanofibers were well networked in the LBL hybrid film.