Nanostructured Composites: Structure, Properties, and Applications in Electrochemistry

Hybrid metal/metal oxide—poly-para-xylylene (PPX) nanocomposites have attracted great interest, because of a broad spectrum of applications. A simple, low-cost preparation technique has been developed and comprises a cold-wall vacuum co-deposition technique. This co-deposition technique has been applied to synthesize nanocomposites, containing PPX and nanoparticles of Al, Sn, Zn, Ti and their oxides. Important is the oxidation kinetics of the metal clusters to their oxides in relation to the percolation threshold. The structure, microstructure, and properties of these composite materials have been studied by X-Ray diffraction, AFM, TEM, and electrical measurements. Anticipated applications of the present composites are photanodes for hydrogen production, active lithium-ion rechargeable battery materials, and chemical gas sensors. An important aspect of these composite materials is the nature of the interfacial properties of the nanostructured particles and the PPX material. The properties of selected composites will be discussed with focus on the nanos-tructured TiO₂/PPX composites as an anode material for a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.