Preparation of polyaniline–metal composite nanospheres by in situ microemulsion polymerization

Nanosized metal and polyaniline (PANi) composite spheres have been prepared via the polymerization of aniline using PdCl2 or HAuCl4 as the oxidant in a microemulsion system. The oxidization of aniline and the reduction of metal ion happened together during the reaction, yielding PANi and elemental metal simultaneously. The results of FTIR spectra suggested that the oxidation degree of PANi was affected by the initial ratio of metal ions to monomer in the microemulsion system. The PANi–metal nanospheres were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and the conductivity of the composite nanospheres was measured by conventional four-probe method. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy were used to show the morphology of the composites.

Graphical abstractConductive polyaniline–metal composite nanospheres of about 50 nm in diameter, containing dispersed metal nanoparticles of 2–5 nm in size, were prepared in a 1-step oxidative polymerization in microemulsion system.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide