Chemical synthesis of PEDOT nanotubes

A rapid, room temperature, reverse emulsion polymerization method to chemically synthesize bulk quantities of micrometers long nanotubes of electrically conducting poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) was investigated. A reverse microemulsion was prepared by dissolving AOT in 70 mL of n-hexane and adding a solution of FeCl 3 i 1.0 mL of water. After 3 hours under gentle magnetic stirring, the blue or black precipitate of PEDOT nanotubes was suction filtered and washed with methanol and acetonitrile. The change in morphology from granules to tubes showed that the PEDOT system was very sensitive to small changes in experimental conditions.