LAMELLAR POLYMER-LIXMOO3 NANOCOMPOSITES VIA ENCAPSULATIVE PRECIPITATION

With LixMoO3 (x = 0.31-0.40) as a host material, a new family of polym er-molybdenum bronze nanocomposites has been synthesized using an exfo liation/encapsulation methodology. Nanocomposites with poly(ethylene o xide), poly(ethylene glycol), poly(propylene glycol), poly (vinylpyrro lidinone), methyl cellulose, polyacrylamide, and nylon-6 were prepared and characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), powder X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectrosco py, UV-VIS spectroscopy, variable-temperature Li-7 and C-13 solid-stat e NMR spectroscopy and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The elect rical conductivity of these materials lies in the range from 10(-2) to 10(-7) S cm(-1), and decreases as the interlayer separation increases . The intercalated polymer imparts both mechanical strength and ease o f processing to these materials. The water-soluble polymer-LixMoO3 nan ocomposites can be cast into films and other shapes, which may provide opportunities for applications. Factors affecting the intercalation r eaction and the structure of nanocomposites, such as variations in the preparation procedure, the polymer molecular mass and the annealing b ehaviour of the products are discussed.