Preparation and Characterization of PEDOT/β-Fe3+O(OH,Cl) Nanospindles with Controllable Sizes in Aqueous Solution

By using FeCl3 center dot 6H(2)O as an oxidant, a novel organic/inorganic complex nanostructure, poly(3,4-ethylenedi-oxythiophene)/beta-akaganeite (PEDOT/beta-Fe3+O(OH,Cl)) nanospindle, was successfully synthesized in aqueous solution in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). The lengths and widths of these nanospindles were in the range of 350-370 and 80-90 nm, respectively, which had good monodispersity. PEDOT/beta-Fe3+O(OH,Cl) nanospindles were composed of PEDOT and single-crystalline beta-akaganeite, which was confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) measurements, analysis of the X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). They had the dual properties of both a conducting polymer (PEDOT) and an inorganic single crystal (beta-akaganeite). The morphology and crystallinity were afforded by the part of inorganic beta-akaganeite, and the electrical and electrochemical properties were attributed to the part of PEDOT, which were investigated by using a four-probe method and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The formation of PEDOT/ beta-Fe3+O(OH,Cl) nanospindles may be due to the concurrence of the polymerization of EDOT and the hydrolyzation of FeCl3 in aqueous solution at 50 degrees C and the interactional result of them.