Preparation and characterization of uniform polyaniline nano-fibrils using the anodic aluminum oxide template

Uniform and ordered Polyaniline (PANI) nano-fibrils are prepared by synthesizing within the anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template. The surface appearance of PANI fibrils array and the structure of single fibril are observed by using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The growth mechanism of PANI nano-fibrils is related to the structure of AAO, polymerization temperature and molar ratios of monomer/oxidized reagent. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy supplies the surface analysis confidence on the PANI nano-fibrils and also proves that this material is a conductor. This result coincides with the conductivity characteristics of PANI. Fourier transmission infrared is used to confirm the fibrils composed of PANI. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.