Polyaniline Morphology and Detectable Intermediate Aggregates

Formation of detectable intermediate aggregates is found to affect the morphologies of PANI nanomaterials, leading to either tubular or rod structures with striated growth and rough surfaces. By simply varying the ratio of initial proton and aniline concentration, a wide range of product morphologies can be synthesized. The intermediates form visible aggregates that can be separated by centrifugation or filtration. In addition to UV-Vis monitoring of the intermediate aggregates, OCP and pH measurements are used to monitor the reaction process. GPC measurements show that the corresponding final products formed typically are not homogeneous. The correlation of intermediates formation and aggregation with product morphology suggests a route to controlled synthesis of PANI nanomaterials.