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An easy route to polyaniline nanofibers Chemists have developed a simple new way to prepare large quantities of polyaniline nano-fibers. Polyaniline is a conducting polymer that holds great promise for use in electronic and optical devices. In addition to thin films, polyaniline can be fashioned into wires, rods, and tubes. Although these nanostructures can be synthesized in numerous ways, they often require templates or are produced only in small quantities. UCLA chemistry professor Richard B. Kaner and graduate student Jiaxing Huang use techniques based on a standard method of oxidative polymerization in a strong acid environment. However, by performing the reaction in a two-phase organic/aqueous system rather than in a homogeneous aqueous solution, they can easily separate reaction by-products [J. Am. Chem. Soc., 125, 314 (2003)]. The synthesis is easily scalable, and the resulting nanofibers, 30–50 nm in diameter, are very uniform. Collaborating with researchers Bruce H. Weiller and Shabnam Virji at Aerospace Corp., the UCLA chemists demonstrate that thin films of the nanofibers can be used as chemical sensors that respond faster and with greater sensitivity than standard polyaniline thin films. |
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