Synthesis and characterization of conducting polythiophene wrapped-MWCNT nanocomposites for potential detection of malathion

Non-covalent functionalization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) through conducting polymer wrapping is a possible method for dispersing CNTs in a solvent without causing significant changes in electrical characteristics, especially if used as a sensing material. A molecular structure with functional groups can absorb on the surface of CNTs and enable CNT dispersion. The effect of poly (3-hcxylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) on pristine and hydroxyl MWCNT was studied in this work. Electron microscopy were used to examine the surface morphology of nanocomposites, which demonstrated that the MWCNTs were well wrapped by P3HT. Further characterization of the produced P3HT-MWCNT nanocomposite was perf01med using Raman spectroscopy. It was discovered that MWCNTs were dispersed uniformly, with a substantial interaction between P3HT and MWCNTs. The introduction of malathion on the surface of the nanocomposites reveals interaction between P3HT and malathion via intermolecular hydrogen bonding of thiophene, as evidenced by inelastic neutron scattering (INS) spectroscopy, suggesting that the P3HTMWCNT has the potential as a promising sensing material for organophosphate detection.