Preparation and electrochemical property of tremella-like polyaniline microspheres by a template-free method

A novel multidimensional architecture of tremella-like polyaniline (PANI) has been synthesized in the presence of oxalic acid (OA) by a template-free method. The PANI tremella is about 3–5 μm in average diameter and consist of petals of interlaced sheets with a thickness of about 20 nm. Chemical structures of obtained PANI were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy (UV–vis). It is found the micro-nanostructured PANI exhibits good electrochemical behavior in 0.1 M HCl electrolyte solution, indicating a potential application in sensors or electrochemical devices. In addition, the effect of OA concentration on the morphology of the tremella-like PANI was also investigated.

► Tremella-like PANI was prepared in the presence of oxalic acid by a template-free method.
► Tremella-like PANI exhibits good electrochemical behavior.
► The obtained tremella-like PANI shows potential application in sensors or electrochemical devices.