Preparation and characterization of polyaniline/manganese dioxide composites and their catalytic activity

This paper is devoted to the preparation of polyaniline/MnO2 (PANI/MnO2) composites via chemical oxidation of aniline in H2SO4 medium using beta-MnO2 as an oxidant. The parameters affecting the polymerization reaction are considered. These parameters are [aniline], amount of beta-MnO2, stirring time, and polymerization temperature. SEM, FT-IR, XRD, and TGA techniques are used to characterize the resulting composites. XRD measurements reveal the distortion of the crystal structure of beta-MnO2 after the polymerization reaction. Thus, the XRD pattern of PANI is predominating. The crystalline composites are obtained using higher molar ratio of [Ox]/[ANI] and at higher temperature. Increasing the amount of beta-MnO2 led to an increase in the acidic character of the obtained composites due to adsorption of excess H+ on the oxide surface. The thermal stability of the composites decreased with increasing both [aniline] and stirring time, while it increased with increasing amount of beta-MnO2. The applications of the composites in the oxidative degradation of Direct Red 81, Acid Blue 92, and Indigo Carmine dyes exhibited good catalytic activity in the presence of H2O2 as an oxidant. The reactions followed first-order kinetics and the rate constants were determined. The degradation reaction involved the catalytic action of the PANI counterpart of the composite toward H2O2 decomposition, which can lead to the generation of HO radicals as a highly efficient oxidant attacking the target dyes. The detailed kinetic studies and the mechanism of these catalytic reactions are under consideration in our group.