Controlled synthesis of Y-junction polyaniline nanorods and nanotubes using in situ self-assembly of magnetic nanoparticles.

Novel Y-junction polyaniline (PANI) nanorods and nanotubes (40-100 nm in diameter and a few micrometers in length) were selectively prepared, for the first time, using in situ self-assembly of water-soluble Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated with polyethylene glycol(5) nonylphenyl ether (NP5) and cyclodextrin (CD) as templates and pH control in an aqueous medium. The morphology of Fe3O4 nanoparticles and the PANI nanostructures (rods and tubes) was determined by TEM and the effects of reaction conditions on the morphology of PANI nanostructures were also studied. Characterization experiments including FTIR and X-ray diffraction were carried out to study the chemical and electronic structures of the PANI nanostructures.

Formation of ordered arrays of oriented polyaniline nanoparticle nanorods.

We report the preparation of ordered polyaniline (PANI) nanorod arrays in an aqueous medium. The oriented PANI nanorods (80-400 nm in diameter and 8-15 mum in length) were synthesized in the presence of hydrophilic Allura Red AC (ARAC) as the structure-directing agent and ammonium persulfate as an oxidant in HCl solution. The morphologies of the oriented PANI nanoparticle nanorods were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy images, and the effect of reaction conditions on the morphology of PANI nanostructures was also studied. On the basis of the result obtained from small-angle X-ray scattering, we propose that rodlike micelle arrays of ARAC-aniline are responsible for directing the formation of oriented PANI nanoparticle nanorods. SEM images and the data analysis of static and dynamic light scattering give supportive evidence to the formation of the PANI nanoparticle nanorods by an elongation process. The chemical and electronic structures of the PANI nanorods were also studied by Fourier transform IR and UV-vis spectrometries, respectively.