Atomic force microscopy observation of insulated molecular wire formed by conducting polymer and molecular nanotube

Inclusion complex formation between a conducting polymer, polyaniline (PANI) with emeraldine base, and a molecular nanotube synthesized from alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD) has been studied by atomic force microscopy. We observed a rodlike inclusion complex of PANI and the molecular nanotube on mica substrate at room temperature. The height of this structure is nearly equal to the outside diameter of alpha-CD and almost uniform along the whole length of the structure, which indicates that a conducting wire of PANI is fully covered by molecular nanotubes as insulator. Accordingly, this inclusion complex can be regarded as insulated molecular wire. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.