Abstract
Aligned polyaniline nanorods were synthesized in the presence of salicylic acid. Nanorods and nanotubes were also formed in the presence of camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) and para-toluenesulfonic acid (pTSA). Electrical conductivity measurements showed that the aligned nanorods had better electrical conductivity than the non-aligned nanostructures. Nanospheres were also observed in some cases. The formation of elongated nanostructures or spheres depended on the aniline monomer to surfactant molar ratio. This method in which nanostructures are formed using soft templates is often referred to as the template-free approach. Our success motivated us to explore the feasibility of obtaining similar metallic nanostructures without the use of a template. We successfully synthesized copper and copper hydroxide nanowires. While the copper nanowires formed as a mesh, the copper hydroxide nanowires formed as winding bundles. Upon switching the order in which the reactants were added, copper hydroxide nanoribbons were formed instead of bundles. Characterization of these nanostructures was done using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and the Four-point probe to measure electrical conductivity. Both metallic and organic nanowires that are fabricated by template-free methods are potential candidates for use as fillers in polymer nanocomposites. Polymer nanocomposites are found to be used in many advanced modern applications such as thermal interface materials in electronic devices which continue to be miniaturized, aerospace engineering where lightweight and robustness are important, sensors, medicine and catalytic activity.
Highlights
The oxidative, in-situ polymerization of polyaniline has been well established in the literature and leads to controlled thin film materials
These were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Four-point probe
Different nanostructures were observed for different molar ratios of salicylic acid and aniline (SA/ANI)
Summary
The oxidative, in-situ polymerization of polyaniline has been well established in the literature and leads to controlled thin film materials. We have been exploring new approaches to produce aligned polyaniline nanostructures during a template free synthesis. We report the template-free synthesis of aligned polyaniline nanowires in the presence of salicylic acid. To show that the formation of nanowires without the use of a template is not limited to conducting polymers, copper and copper(II) hydroxide nanowires were synthesized without the use of a template. These were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Four-point probe
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