Preparation of polyaniline microspheres with nanostructured surfaces by a solids-stabilized emulsion

Polyaniline microspheres with nanostructured surfaces were prepared by a novel surfactant-free emulsion for the first time. The products were characterized by SEM, TEM, FTIR, UV–Vis and BET surface area measurements. The TEM analysis showed that the polyaniline had perfectly spherical morphologies with an average diameter of 14 μm; the results of FTIR and UV–Vis showed that polyaniline microspheres were of emeraldine form; the SEM and BET surface area measurements indicated that polyaniline microspheres consisted of nanometer-sized aciculae with a specific surface area of about 46 m2/g. An interfacial polymerization mechanism for the formation of polyaniline microspheres was proposed.