Synthesis of polyaniline nanostructures via soft template of sucrose octaacetate

Highly crystallized polyaniline (PANI) nanostructures were polymerized by oxidative polymerization in the presence of sucrose octaacetate acting as an in situ seed and a soft template, and ammonium peroxydisulfate (APS) acting as an oxidizing agent. PANI nanofibers and nanorods were obtained using 2 and 3 g sucrose octaacetate, respectively. The nanostructures containing irregular-shaped agglomerates, such as particulate particles and scaffolds were observed with increasing the concentrations of sucrose octaacetate. The polymerized PANI was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetry analysis (TGA). Results showed that the presence of sucrose octaacetate during polymerization could only induce a change in morphology, but could not influence the molecular structure of the resulting PANI. Compared with those derived with 1, 3, and 4 g sucrose octaacetate, the polymerized PANI from 2 g sucrose octaacetate possessed higher thermal stability and electrical conductivity due to its higher crystallinity and highly ordered structure. A mechanism for the formation of PANI nanostructures is also proposed.