Surface coverage of polyaniline-coated silica gels

Silica gels of 15 μm and 130 μm mean sizes were covered by polyaniline hydrochloride nanofilms during polymerisation under different conditions. A surface coverage of the silica gel was determined from the C 1s or N 1s photoelectron spectra by two methods. The first one, the line shape analysis carried out by QUASES-Tougaard software, enables us to recognise also the surface morphology of the samples. The second method for the C 1s or N 1s peak area ratios originating from the polyaniline hydrochloride-coated silica gels an from the polyaniline hydrochloride standard. The results indicate that silica gel surfaces are not fully covered by the polyaniline hydrochloride film. The coverage values are consistent mutually, correlate well with polymerisation conditions and are in good agreement with a polyaniline hydrochloride content determined independently by burning the polyaniline hydrochloride-coated silica gel samples (Authors)