Metal-polymer composites at liquid/liquid interfaces: new morphological investigations using ex situ and in situ studies

The synthesis of gold-polyindole composites using water/dichloromethane interfaces is reported. It is demonstrated that the morphological features of the composites at the interface are not unique but depends upon the reactivity at various phases during the formation of the composite viz towards the aqueous and organic phases and as well as various locations of the interface. The morphological variations are analyzed using in situ Optical, Fluorescence and Laser Scanning and ex situ Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopic techniques. The thermal stability of the composite is much higher than hitherto-known gold-polyindole composites, while this is the first report on the specific conductivity of any metal-polyindole composites.