Electroless Ag coating of fly ash cenospheres using polyaniline activator

The electroless Ag coating of fly ash cenospheres employing polyaniline activator was investigated after polyaniline activator was coated on the surfaces of the cenosphere particles by in situ chemical polymerization. The composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results indicate that a small amount of polyaniline activator was deposited in a discontinuous way on the surfaces of the cenosphere particles. Due to the activation of polyaniline, relatively compact and continuous Ag layer with a thickness of about 4 µm was obtained under the given electroless plating condition. The possible interaction between polyaniline and silver ions and the mechanism of Ag deposition were also investigated by the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy technique.