Micelle-assisted synthesis of PANI nanoparticles and application as particulate emulsifier

Well-defined water-dispersible polyaniline (PANI) nanoparticles were synthesized by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of an amphiphilic P(AMPS-co-VM) copolymer micelle. P(AMPS-co-VM) copolymer was prepared by the free radical polymerization of 7-(4-vinylbenzyloxyl)-4-methyl-coumarin (VM) and 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS) which can self-assemble into micelles in aqueous solution. Here, P(AMPS-co-VM) copolymer micelle is used not only as soft template but also as acid dopant in our reaction system. The structure, size, and morphology of PANI nanoparticles were characterized by various experimental techniques. It is found that the morphology and the size of the PANI nanoparticles strongly depend on the molecular characteristics of the P(AMPS-co-VM) copolymer. The synthesized PANI nanoparticles behaved as particulate emulsifier for the stabilization of oil-in-water emulsions.