Polyacetylene nanoparticles-based preparation of polyaniline nanofibers

A conjugated polymer polyacetylene (PA) nanoparticles-based preparative strategy toward doped polyaniline (PANI) nanofibers has been demonstrated for the first time, carried out by chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline under rapid stirring using ammonium persulfate as the oxidant in acidic aqueous media in the presence of dodecylsulfate (SDS)-stabilized PA nanoparticles. It is found that only PANI nanoparticulates are formed when the synthesis is performed in the absence of PA nanoparticles. The optical properties and the electronic conductivity of the resulting doped nanofibers and the corresponding dedoped products were studied and the influence of the amount of PA nanoparticles used on the morphologies of PANI nanostructures was also investigated. A possible mechanism is proposed to explain the formation of the PANI nanofibers.