Synthesis and electrochemical properties of self-doped poly(aniline-co-3-aminobenzeneboronic acid) hollow micro/nanostructures

Self-doped poly(aniline-co-3-aminobenzeneboronic acid) [poly(AN-co-AB)] hollow micro/nanostructures, such as microspheres, aligned pearls, and nanotubes, have been synthesized by one-step chemical oxidation copolymerization of aniline (AN) and 3-aminobenzeneboronic acid (AB) using ammonium peroxydisulfate (APS) as the oxidant in aqueous solution. The process is facile and free of any template, surfactant, and external dopants. The shapes and sizes of poly(AN-co-AB) micro/nanostructures can be controlled by adjusting the synthetic parameters, such as the molar ratios of AN and AB, and the molar ratios of monomer and APS. It is found that both poly(AN-co-AB) hollow microspheres and nanotubes exhibit good electrochemical behavior in neutral solution due to the presence of boronic acid moieties in polyaniline molecular chains.