Water-soluble methyl orange fibrils as versatile templates for the fabrication of conducting polymer microtubules

One-dimensional methyl orange fibrils can be easily prepared. They are stable in acidic aqueous solutions and soluble in neutral water. When used to synthesize conducting polymer microtubules, the fibrils act as hard templates formally but as soft templates effectively. Microtubular structures of polypyrrole, polyaniline, and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) have been achieved successfully via such water-soluble versatile templates.