Controlled interconversion of semiconducting and metallic forms of polyaniline nanofibers

Self-assembled polyaniline nanofibers doped with 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid were prepared by oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of a nonionic surfactant. These nanofibers were dedoped to the semiconducting emeraldine base and then redoped to the metallic emeraldine hydrochloride. It was possible to introduce a different dopant anion from that used in the initial synthesis with no significant changes in fiber morphology or diameter, as observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The method of sample preparation for SEM significantly affected the observed morphology. Deposition from aqueous dispersions resulted primarily in nanofibers that ranged in diameter from 28 to 82 nm (average: 56 nm), whereas drying to solid powder resulted in a less fibrous material. UV-vis-NIR absorbance spectroscopy indicated that the electronic structure of the emeraldine base nanofibers was identical to bulk emeraldine base obtained by conventional synthesis. Estimates from X-ray diffraction data suggested that the fractional crystallinity of emeraldine hydrochloride nanofibers did not differ significantly from the bulk powder.