Synthesis of discus-like Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) nanoparticles using a bicellar template

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) nanoparticles with discus-like morphology were synthesized by chemical oxidation polymerization using bicelles as a soft template. The bicelles were assembled from the surfactant molecules of sodium perfluorooctanoate (FC7) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The PEDOT nanodiscuses have an average diameter around 200 nm and a central thickness of about 50 nm. The effects of synthetic parameters, such as surfactant concentration, molar ratio of oxidant and monomer, reaction temperature on PEDOT nanostructures have been investigated.