Growth of highly oriented crystalline polyaniline films by self-organization

Silicon substrates with (100) orientation were modified with amino-silane self-assembled monolayer (SAM) to provide amino (NH2) moieties at the substrate surface. Self-organization of polyaniline during chemical polymerization, on this modified surface, leads to the growth of highly oriented films at the substrate–polymer interface. The morphology studied using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy revealed the formation of polymer film with well faceted pyramidal crystallites. XPS and FTIR spectroscopy were used to analyze the chemical structure of the film. X-ray diffraction measurements show the crystalline nature of the polyaniline, whose lattice parameters are in agreement with the reported values. This study underlines the importance of a SAM in deciding the structure and morphology of the deposited polymer.

Graphical abstractAmino-silane self-assembled monolayer was used to modify the surface of (100) oriented silicon substrate and provide amino (NH2) groups at the surface. On this substrate surface, self-organization of polyaniline during chemical polymerization, yields highly oriented crystalline polyaniline film with oriented pyramid-shaped crystallites.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide