Several techniques can be used to prepare the polymer-metals oxide composites. These include
mechanical mixing [9], electropolymerization [10–14], surface-initiated polymerization [15] and oxidative
polymerization [7,16–19]. Among these techniques, the polymerization approaches are interesting
and worth exploring, taking into account the advantage that a strong interaction between
polymer and metal oxides was evidenced [7]. In this regard, the polymerization techniques, reaction
times, types of oxidant and metal oxide loading are important factors affecting the morphology and
properties of the nanocomposite system. The optimum polymerization conditions for the different
metal oxides are also different. Work by Wei et al. [16], for example, showed that the TiO2/PPy nanocomposites
prepared by oxidative polymerization, using ammonium persulfate as an oxidant exhibited
lower electrical conductivity (at room temperature) than that of the TiO2/PPy nanocomposites
prepared from FeCl3. Using XPS and FT-IR spectra analysis, the interaction between PPy and TiO2
was also deduced.