Controlled growth of polypyrrole nanotubule/wire in the presence of a cationic surfactant

We describe herein a new facile approach to control the size and morphology of polypyrrole (PPy) nanotubular/ wire structures in the presence of a cationic surfactant. The fibrillar complex of FeCl3 and methyl orange (MO), acting as a reactive self-degraded template for the formation of polypyrrole nanotubules, was modified by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), which plays a dual role of adjusting the size of the seed template and providing an expanded region for the growth of polypyrrole. The modified template itself reacted oxidatively with pyrrole monomers to effectively construct nanotubular/ wire structures with high yield. The effect of the concentration of CTAB on the initial template and subsequent polymerization process of pyrrole was investigated systematically. In the case of introducing anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) into the system, the MO - FeCl3 template was etched, resulting in a congregation of polypyrrole nanotubes and granules.