Polyaniline hierarchical structures synthesized in aqueous solution: Micromats of nanofibers

Micromats of polyaniline (PANI) nanofibers with hierarchical structures have been prepared in water or aqueous solutions. Aniline was dissolved in deionized water with magnetic stirring at room temperature for 10 mm. The aqueous solution of ammonium persulfate (APS) was then added to the mixture in one portion. The resulting solution was stirred for another 0.5 mm to ensure complete mixing, and then the reaction was allowed to proceed for 12 hours at room temperature without agitation. The product was finally washed with deionized water until the filtrate became colorless and then dried in a vacuum at 60°C for 24 hours. The low magnification image of the product show that it has uniform micromat morphology and is composed of shuttlelike micromats and crossed shuttlelike micromats that are crosslinked by two quasi-vertical shuttlelike structures.