Superhydrophobic polyaniline hollow bars: Constructed with nanorod-arrays based on self-removing metal-monomeric template

Superhydrophobic hollow polyaniline (PANI) bars assembled from nanorod-arrays were prepared in the presence of metal-monomeric template. Toward preparing these PANI bars, self-assembling and “template” methods were simultaneously applied. The self-removing metal-monomeric “template” was probably formed when a high concentration of aniline (0.5 M) was added into the cadmium acetate solution, and then decomposed gradually during the oxidative polymerization of aniline. In addition, a superhydrophobic flower-like PANI hierarchical structure was also prepared without the “template” (cadmium acetate aqueous solution containing a low concentration of aniline (0.05 M)). The formation mechanism of the hollow PANI bars was discussed.

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► Superhydrophobic hollow polyaniline bars are constructed with arrays of nanorods.
► Aniline and cadmium acetate can form self-removing metal-monomeric “template”.
► The molecular formula of “template” is Cd(aniline)0.7(OH)1.1(Ac)0.9.
► The “template” is decomposed during the polymerization of aniline.
► Polyaniline multidimensional architectures can be prepared without the “template”.