One-Dimensional Nanostructured Polyaniline: Syntheses, Morphology Controlling, Formation Mechanisms, New Features, and Applications

One-dimensional nanostructured polyaniline (1D nano-PANI), including nanofibers, nanowires, nanobelts, nanotubes, nanorods, nanoneedles, and nanosticks, has been extensively studied recently due to its unique properties and many potential applications. As a continuation of our previous review on 1D nano-PANI (D. H. Zhang and Y. Y. Wang, Mater Sci Eng B 2006, 134(1), 919), the research and development of 1D nano-PANI, including both syntheses and applications, in the past 5 years (20062010) are reviewed in this paper. Newly invented chemical methods for fabrication of 1D nano-PANI, such as solid-state polymerization, seeding polymerization, UV light- and microwave-assisted polymerization, plasma-induced polymerization, porous membrane controlled polymerization, and vapor phase polymerization, are briefly reviewed, and morphology controlling of the nanostructures during several synthesizing processes are reported and discussed at first. The formation mechanisms and key factors that affect the morphology evolution of the 1D nano-PANI are discussed. Novel features of 1D nano-PANI, such as aligned or oriented, longer, self-doped, chiral, derivative, carbonized, and dendritic PANI, are summarized. Finally, newly exploited applications of 1D nano-PANI in the past few years, such as sensors (e.g., gases sensors, biosensors, moisture or humidity sensors, TNT sensors, taste sensors, and noble metal ion sensors), absorbents, catalysts, actuators, supercapacitors, batteries, fuel cells, solar cells, electrochromic devices, hydrogen storages, surface modifiers, field-effect transistors, and functional materials, are discussed in detail. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 32: E323E368, 2013; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/adv.21283