Electrodeposition of free-standing poly(pyrrole) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)– MoS2 composite films at the liquid | liquid interface

The preparation of conducting polymer-exfoliated MoS₂ composites at the liquid/liquid interface, using electrochemical control to drive polymerization, is reported. Conducting polymers have attracted significant interest in recent years due to their remarkable electrical properties, together with their mechanical properties and the ease of their synthesis. Formation of composite materials, via the incorporation of these polymers with other organic and inorganic materials, is a well-established route to enhance their physical properties. Fabrication of the resultant polymeric composites into thin, robust films is a requirement for certain energy and water treatment applications. Interfacial synthesis methods are widely used to prepare thin films of material, and conducting polymer formation under electrochemical control has been reported previously at the liquid/liquid interface. Here, we describe a potentiostatic synthesis of free-standing, robust films of poly(pyrrole (PPy) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) incorporated within MoS₂ sheets. The polymeric films were electrodeposited in their oxidised forms. Distinct morphologies were observed for the polymeric species. This method is advocated as a one-pot, single-step route to the synthesis of polymeric composites for applications where a thin film morphology is required. Although 2D material/polymer composite have been formed via spontaneous reduction processes, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the preparation of a 2D material/polymer composite using electrochemical methods, at the liquid/liquid interface (interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions).