Carbon nanotube/polyaniline core-shell nanowires prepared by in situ inverse microemulsion

By the in situ inverse microemulsion, we prepared multi-walled carbon nanotubes/polyaniline composites (MWNTs/PANI). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the nanotubes were coated with a PANI layer. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra suggested that the π-bonded surface of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) interact strongly with the conjugated structure of the PANI shell layer. The thermal stability and electrical conductivity of the MWNTs/PANI composites were examined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and conventional four-probe method. In comparison with the pure PANI, the decomposition temperature of the MWNTs/PANI (1 wt% MWNTs) composites increased from 360 to 400 °C and the electrical conductivity of MWNTs/PANI (1 wt% MWNTs) composites was increased by one order of magnitude.