Synthesis and Electroresponse Activity of Porous Polypyrrole/Silica-Titania Core/Shell Nanoparticles

Inverted conducting polymer/metal oxide core/shell structured pPPy/SiO₂-TiO₂ nanoparticles were prepared as electrorheological (ER) materials using sequential experimental methods. The core was synthesized via the low-temperature self-assembly of PPy and SiO₂ materials, and the outer TiO₂ shell was easily coated onto the core part using a sol-gel method and a titanium isopropoxide precursor. Sonication-mediated etching and redeposition were employed to etch out SiO₂ portions from the core part to blend with TiO₂ shells. Each step in nanoparticle synthesis involved morphological and physical changes to the surface area and porosity, with subsequent changes in the intrinsic properties of the materials. Specifically, the electrical conductivity and dielectric properties were successfully altered. The final pPPy/SiO₂-TiO₂ nanoparticle configuration was optimized for ER applications, offering low electrical conductivity, high dielectric properties, and increased dispersion stability. pPPy/SiO₂-TiO₂ nanoparticles exhibited 24.7- and 2.7-fold enhancements in ER performance compared to that of PPy-SiO₂ and PPy-SiO₂/TiO₂ precursor nanoparticles, respectively. The versatile method proposed in this study for the synthesis of inverted conducting polymer/metal oxide core/shell nanoparticles shows great potential for the development of custom-designed ER materials.